Valediction
Lady with the frilled blouse And simple tartan skirt, Since you have left the house Its emptiness has hurt All thought. In your presence Time rode easy, anchored On a smile; but absence Rocked love's balance, unmoored The days. They buck and bound Across the calendar, Pitched from the quiet sound Of your flower-tender Voice. Need breaks on my strand; You've gone, I am at sea. Until you resume command, Self is in mutiny.
Valediction - meaning Summary
Loss as Disorientation
The speaker addresses a woman who has left and says her absence has upset his whole life. While she was present, time felt calm and secure; now the days feel unstable and hard to manage. The poem turns a private farewell into a wider feeling of disorientation, ending with the speaker feeling lost and unable to steady himself until she returns.
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