Passports

In the poem, "Passports," the author uses the speaker's collection of old passports to symbolize the passage of time. Though the speaker hopes the passports will help her remember her former travels, as soon as she spreads them out, she discovers they are only a means of tracking her progression towards death. In each photo, she observes how her face has aged. Rather than allowing her to look back, the passports seem like a prophesy of her present elderly state.

Salt

In the poem, "Salt," the author uses the image of salt to symbolize the speaker's fear. By alluding to the Genesis story of Lot's wife, the speaker is able to convey her reluctance to looking back. If she meditates too long on her past experiences, she may, like Lot's wife, turn into a pillar of salt. The past is both alluring and dangerous. Though it...