Strangers in "The Angels," "Driving to Ottawa," and "Wade in the Water"

In Part One, many of the poems show encounters with strangers as positive and affirming experiences in an otherwise hostile world. In “The Angels,” the speaker is comforted by the protective presence of two bikers, although their leather gear, ground teeth, and gasoline smell might usually be considered frightening. In “Driving to Ottawa,” the speaker meditates on the particular bond that strangers can form in times of disaster or bad news: “The momentary kind / Of love two strangers share” (14). In “Wade in the Water,” the speaker attends a performance and is struck by the experience of shared love: “I love you, she said. She didn’t / Know me, but I believed her” (15). In each poem, the speaker feels burdened, but a positive interaction with a stranger gives a new chance for hope and connection.

God in "Hill Country"