Thanks. It's nice to know that someone thinks that I have a leg up on the Tuesday Poem (which is a change for me).

Besides the cinematic quality of the poem, there seems to be a decided and intentional contrast between the reactions of the poet and of his friend to the same circumstances. The two people seem to be exact opposites temperamentally, which makes their friendship interesting indeed. I suspect that the poet most likely is INTJ on the Myers-Briggs scale; his friend most likely is an ESTP. Mr. Goldensohn's poetry is more focused on facts and logic than on feelings and values; he observes every detail without investing them in much extra emotion. It's his observation of his friend that's invested with more emotional weight, and she's reacting to her own impending death and to life on this day in a way completely opposite to his own. It's outgoing, sensual, emotional and willing to "let it be" -- exactly the opposite in every respect from how the poet reacts to the same circumstances.

Thus are my two insights (such as they are) on the poem. There is that cinematic quality, and there is that contrast between personality types as observed by the one who is actually the less openly emotional of the two. The poem would be quite a different thing were it written by the lady and included her perceptions of herself, nature and her friend.

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