This poem is in direct conversation with the literary landscape of its time. Female poets were unusual, especially published ones, and so the speaker hesitatingly navigates this contentious path. In reality, Bradstreet’s publishers were often quick to assure readers that her poetry did not interfere with her domestic life or her duties to her family. Although this poem is firmly set at the time at which it was written, elements of it — such as fear of public scrutiny and the malice of the media — are just as relevant today.