The Speaker's Life

The speaker's life symbolizes all human lives and by extension, all life in general. Throughout the poem, the speaker expresses a reverence toward their life that transcends angst, stress, and distance.

Rooms

Rooms symbolize different facets of an individual's life and inner self. As personal spaces they signify distinct aspects of life such as intimacy, rejuvenation, socializing, or subconscious thoughts.

Mitochondria

Mitochondria symbolize a source of energy, life, metabolism, and cellular activity. Apart from making energy, mitochondria can also protect cells or initiate their destruction. Since mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, they also could symbolize maternal lineage.

Riding a Donkey

Riding a donkey symbolizes humility and peace. For thousands of years, this was a normal mode of travel. Even if Hirshfield did not intend to make a biblical allusion, many readers will also associate the image of the speaker riding a...