Hill is the author of a poetry collection, has published widely in literary journals, and is an editor for a university publications department. In the following essay, Hill considers Kumin's poem for its profound sorrow based on the ultimate aloneness of the individual.

The sentiments expressed in "Address to the Angels" are neither difficult to grasp nor hard to sympathize with regardless of one's religious beliefs. Some critics have speculated on Kumin's reported atheism, but no one seems to have landed on a definitive declaration of such from the poet herself. Others may argue that this poem has little to do with spirituality and that it is more of an attempt to come to grips with personal tragedy outside the realm of faith in a supreme being. What is definite is that Kumin is noted for her themes on survival and human willpower, and one could reasonably...