Goldenrod

In "Goldenrod," the yellow roadside wildflowers that the speaker thinks are goldenrod, symbolize the natural world. The speaker acknowledges that she might be making a mistake when referring to the flowers as goldenrod. She then opens a conversation with the flowers, inviting them to name her, too. The goldenrod acts as an overarching representation of the human's relationship with nature, and the forms of misunderstanding and understanding that might result from this relationship.

Ohio

In the poems titled "Ohio Cento," the state of Ohio symbolizes the past. Because Ohio is the place where the speaker grew up, her memories often take place therein. Ohio represents all of the images, scenes, and atmospheres from her childhood that she is both eager to retain, and afraid of obsessing over.

Honeybees

In "At the End of Our Marriage, in the Backyard," the honeybees symbolize the possibility of danger. The...