This poem is about thirst and how a life of thirst then quenched with a fistful of water can make you contend with all the women you could have been, the children you could have had, and the ever-changing body you are given.

Homage to a mother—is a common theme in poetry, but, refreshingly, is presented here without the Hallmark cliché or sentiment that so often mars such poems. Restraint is evident in every line

Among the many powerful poems written about AIDS, I find this one especially moving. I like that it is written in plainspoken diction, in free verse, qualities that support its agonized and heartfelt utterance.

The main thing that distinguishes today’s poem from most sonnets is the way it invokes science fiction—something that Tracy K. Smith does quite a bit in her work.

. . . That’s an effective strategy, choosing a title that multiplies associations in the reader’s mind even before the poem is read. It makes me curious to see where Anderson will go from here: Will the poem involve any of these things, or instead, play off of my expectations and surprise me?

This is a sad poem, readers, but one that offers its own comfort, something we need now more than ever.

The first time I read "Citizen," I kept putting it down. At some point, though, it occurred to me that some readers never, ever get to put that book down. So, I finished it, read it again, then did some thinking about why I initially found it hard to read.

The way the chocolate acquires agency in the poem and becomes capable of deliberately and actively arousing desire is the beginning of the speaker’s identification with it.