Poquette has a bachelor's degree in English and specializes in writing about literature. In the following essay, Poquette discusses Byrne's use of imagery and sounds in the poem.

Byrne's poem delves into the concept of human consciousness, exploring how the human brain's state of awareness works on a daily basis, as well as how it functions in particular instances, such as when a person becomes creatively inspired or is faced with a crisis. In his review comments for The Flammable Bird's book cover, fellow poet David St. John notes Byrne's interest in human consciousness. St. John says that Byrne "invites us into the layered realms of consciousness, into both sublime pleasures and the raw psychological densities of contemporary experience." Throughout "In Particular," however, Byrne focuses mainly on the hidden, unconscious part of the human mind. She even tries to explain this part of the mind by...