Summary

In the first stanza, the speaker states that a terrorist lurks in the shadows outside the door. She questions whether this description is accurate in the second stanza, amending her earlier portrayal to say that a freedom-fighter shelters in the shadows outside that door. The third stanza brings another correction, this time with the speaker reporting that a hostile militant waits in the shadows.

In the fourth stanza, the speaker expresses doubt in all words, comparing them to "waving, wavering flags" (12). She describes the person outside the door as a watchful guerrilla warrior. The speaker pleads with God for help in the following stanza. This time, she recounts seeing the face of a martyr who stands outside, "defying every shadow" (17).

The speaker declares that no words can help her in the sixth stanza because she spots a resemblance between the person outside her door...