The Pond

The pond symbolizes stillness and contemplation as the speaker observes a group of sleeping addicts. This setting also shows the connection between humans and nature.

Night and Moonlight

Night and moonlight symbolize a different perspective in the poem. The moon illuminates the sleeping addicts, allowing the speaker to liken them to a rare and beautiful type of amphibious flower. The constraints of daytime may not have opened the speaker's mind to such an association.

Striders

Striders, a rare type of amphibious flower, symbolize beauty and liminality. They exist "between, but needing, two worlds," and the speaker associates them with the sleeping addicts (6).