I was a boy— / which meant I was a murderer / of my childhood.
-- Speaker (The Bull)

Importance: In the collection's opening poem, "The Bull," the speaker describes his encounter with a mysterious bull in his backyard. He is not only surprised by the bull's appearance, but by his livingness. The bull's animacy contrasts sharply with the way the speaker describes himself: as a murderer. This moment not only establishes a dichotomous tension within the poem itself, but introduces the author's interests in exploring violence, innocence, loss, death, and childhood.

What we'll always have is something we lost.
-- Speaker (Snow Theory)

Importance: In the first poem from Part One, "Snow Theory," the speaker remarks on the superlative nature of one particular day. He is enjoying the day because he is celebrating the fact that he has not harmed anyone or anything in years. However, in the above line, which falls exactly in the center of the poem, the speaker's...