Hi, Hilary—
I have an unfortunate tendency to try to find hidden meanings in direct and straightforward poems—occasionally a blessing, more often a curse.
In the first part of this piece, I was struck by how the couple being together in the car seemed to represent marriage (or at least commitment to sharing their lives). I read it as being about how difficult it can be to make shared plans when the individual goals and priorities of each spouse do not align exactly. Also, how having to sacrifice or postpone those goals and priorities to accommodate one’s partner can provoke anger and resentment.
In the second part of this piece, the couple is separated (perhaps divorced? perhaps because of those resentments?) I read it as showing how helpful and self-sacrificing one can be when one’s life is not tightly entangled with another’s.
I have known many couples who are able to be kind and friendly to each other only after having separated. The irony of this is what I focused on in your poem. Nice work!
Glenn
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