Love By Anna Gibson Literary Devices

No story would be complete without drama, and Gibson compares the longevity of love to the icicle as both slowly melt over time and cannot be held forever. Ice melting can sometimes symbolize the renewal of spring or something beautiful. But by using her melting love “where it hurts the most,” Gibson alludes to her attempts of grasping what’s left of her relationship to relieve the pain of her past. And we see this as the poem continues, as Gibson is literally haunted by her past. The “ghost” of her former lover appears all around her, and Gibson wants to light her way like ET’s finger shining towards what she essentially wants, a home. Not only is the ET metaphor another reference to the movie-like qualities of this poem, but the healing powers of ET symbolize Gibson’s desire to mend and fix the pain of her past. A past that constantly pulls her out of reality into her memories, like their first date at the batting cages. Some would try to impress their date to secure a good first

The second half of the poem is happening tonight and near the future, with active verbs that demonstrate a change in the poem and Gibson herself. The repetition of “Love isn’t always magic” acknowledges Gibson’s ties to the past, but the following rebuttal lines showcases the transformation of Gibson’s view on love. She is a new person who is willing to change herself physically if it will “make her whole.” She now comprehends and speaks the meaning behind love poems that she wrote to her lover, because her experience and ties to the material has grown. Additionally, the “garden song”, and “wheat field” symbolize the blooming of life in gardens and nature just as Gibson and her lover can regrow their love from the soil of their past endeavors. Gibson is ready to melt the ice of love “with the steam off our own bodies,” indicating that the melting of their past love will blossom into a spring of new, stronger