The Body, Place, and Air

A recurring theme throughout “Envelopes of Air” is bodies, particularly how they exist and move through space. Limón and Diaz exchange their perspectives on the boundary and interplay between body and space, and Limón initiates this particular conversation in her poem “Sometimes I Think My Body Leaves a Shape in the Air.” As the title suggests, the speaker ponders the relationship between her body and its surroundings. In other words, she expresses an interest between internal and external realities as well as between material and immaterial phenomena.

The speaker situates the poem beside the Pacific Ocean. This matters because Limón and Diaz take turns naming the places they have been, the places they currently are in, and the places they plan to visit. This provides a concrete context in that readers can easily imagine or relate to the poems...