The Speaker

The unnamed speaker is a recurring character throughout the entire collection. They act as the primary narrator and voice of the poems. This speaker shares many biographical details with the author of the book, Tracy K. Smith. For example, both live in New York city and in several pieces the speaker makes references to writing poetry. In addition, in the poem “The Speed of Belief” the speaker mourns the death of their father who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, while Smith lost her own father a few years before the publication of the book.

Overall the speaker acts as a meditative and critical voice. At times they focus on very personal issues, such as the deaths of loved ones, the successes and failures of relationships with family and partners, and the experiences of childbirth. At other times they take a more political stance, such as in...