Hart has degrees in literature and creative writing. In the following essay, she examines the spiritual images in Yau’s poem.

If literary critics are accurate in describing Yau as a L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poet, one who believes that meaning is not inherent in a poem and that the only meaning that can be found is that which is discovered by the reader, then that opens the door for reading spirituality in Yau’s poem “Russian Letter” whether or not the poet intended it to be there. Given the mention of “soul,” a spiritual interpretation seems logical. Only the poet knows for sure what his mood was or where his thoughts came from when he wrote this poem. But there are images in this poem, besides that of the soul, that conjure up a sense of...