We agree that rhythm's / a bridge to the soul and we'll cross it . . .
-- Speaker (Napoleon Club)

Importance: In "Napoleon Club," the speaker dances at a club with a new lover. While kissing and dancing, the speaker and the lover agree on the above notion. This moment speaks to the author's overarching relationship with and ideas about the possibility of poetic language. He especially regards the rhythms and cadences in poetry as related to those in music. Both are forms of communication and expression.

love's memory endures.
-- Speaker (Je Te Veux)

Importance: In "Je Te Veux," the speaker recalls a night he spent sitting on a couch with a lover and speaking in French. Although the speaker wrestles with the slippery nature of memory throughout the collection, in this piece, the essence of his memory remains. It is indeed the love that is central to the memory that seems to preserve the scene in his mind. The moment contributes to...