Section V: Distance Nowhere Summary

"Border Line" (Pg. 81):

Interesting short study of "in between" states of existence. The speaker is decidedly positioned in the middle between here and there, living and dying.

"Suicide's Note" (Pg. 85):

Haunting three line, non-rhyming "verse." The suicide blames his/her demise on the river's request for a kiss.

"Juliet" (Pg. 89):

Addresses the character Juliet from the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet.

"Luck" (Pg. 99):

Examines the question of why some individuals are blessed with fortune while others are not.

"Song for Billie Holliday" (Pg. 102):

The speaker laments Holliday's sad end, while recollecting the bittersweet quality of the singer's voice and work.

Section V: Distance Nowhere Analysis

The poems in the section entitled "Distance Nowhere" concern different states of being and non-being. Hughes examines those places on the experiential continuum which qualify as neither here nor there in a...