Poetry / Food of love (Analysis)

Will think on it … though am keen to keep the compliant skin image.  Thanks.

Thanks – I think you have understood the piece well, and I am glad that you feel its imagery and sensuality work.  

As for the morality, well the food was indeed for the family, but yes it was all about the thrill of falling in love with someone who was not my wife.  

I have written a lot of other poems about the anguish involved in this, but that was not the point of this one: I hope that the final few lines suggest something of the idea that my excitement was not untainted.  Indeed, the pain involved, ultimately, was a great deal more than “indigestion” for all of us, and still rolls on … a few years after the poem was written.  

But that is a matter for autobiography, or therapy, rather than poetry criticism.  

I hope you will excuse my taking the liberty of sharing this with you, but I agree with you that the meaning of a piece [including its morality] is very much a proper matter for criticism, and I therefore felt the need to respond to you on that rather more personal level.  

I hope that this response seems to you an appropriate reply, in kind, to your carefully considered comments in the review [for which, again, thanks].

Again, nicely done sir. It is a pleasure reading your words. I hope to see more of your work.

Thanks … and I will check out yours

As promised, I have taken a look at your uploaded material.  A lot there I like.  Have sent a friend request, as I’d like to offer a review or two.

I always meant the poem to be more about love, sex and passion than music, though all three are entwined.  Sorry if this doesn’t come over.  Thanks for giving it time.

Ok, it seems to me as though the section about the strudel could well be metaphorical for sex due to the following key phrases: compliant skin, warm, dry lips, heavy body, into the heat of the oven.  It just starts off seeming so literal, and then you have the aside about Ode to Joy that literalizes the passage about the song (in my mind).

It’s meant to be kind of down-to-earth, but with all these potent elements as a subtext to its surface domestic normality.  I was quite influenced by Billy Collins when I wrote this, who often uses that sort of approach: but maybe this one doesn’t quite work.

Other readers seem to be getting a subtext from it, so maybe I just take things at face value too much (ironic given my screen name, no?).

I wanted to emphasise the kiss: it was a particularly significant one!

Thanks.  Yeah, “punnetful” is a coinage.  The only phrase I’m not sure about is “[I like a little spice]” whch is maybe a bit too “nudge nudge, wink wink” ... and maybe I could lose?  Thanks for the advice about dividing the recipes up: will have a think about how this might work.