"Shaker, Why Don't You Sing?" Summary

"Awaking in New York," tells not only of the awakening of the narrator, but of the whole city. The life pulsates so steadily that the narrator feels the entire city awaken with him/her. A different kind of pervading feeling develops in "A Good Woman Feeling Bad." The woman tells of the emotions of many depressing times. The cause is omitted, leaving a universal feeling to the poem.

A lovely, light-hearted "The Health-Food Diner" tells of a carnivore trapped in a vegetarian climate. The first four verses read like a menu, with asides in which the speaker wishes for meat. Finally, he/she breaks loose to catalog all of his/her favorite meat dishes, all served in the smoking section.

Pleading for peace, "A Georgia Song" addresses the largest cities in Georgia. The...