Semansky publishes widely on twentieth-century poetry and culture. In the following essay, Semansky considers "Chocolates" in relation to Simpson's poems on the art of poetry and as an example of narrative poetry.

Much of the poetry written in the latter half of the twentieth century has been lyric poetry. Lyric poetry, by its very definition, is short and focuses on the subjective thoughts and emotions of the speaker. For lyric poetry, the "I" is at the center of the universe, and the imagination helps to shape the speaker's thoughts and emotion. Louis Simpson's poetry, especially the poetry written in the latter part of his career, has aimed at bringing poetry back to its narrative, or storytelling roots. His poetry tells stories about other people, not himself. "Chocolates" is one such example of Simpson's narrative poetry.

In the same collection in which "Chocolates" appears, Simpson includes poems that...