Hi Matt,
Just saw your response and query.
I think my calling the first stanza a bit of a slog had to do with having to come to grips with the narrative and it's meaning in the poem. That is established by the second stanza. There is also a comparative calmness that sets in in the second stanza, which is a fine effect, and it reads more smoothly. I had read the poem three times or so before my initial comment. Reading it today, more familiar with the poem, I am noticing less of a slog in stanza one.
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