Wail and Wit.

Wail
Love has gone a-rocketing.
That is not the worst;
I could do without the thing,
And not be the first.
Joy has gone the way it came.
That is nothing new;
I could get along the same ---
Many people do.
Dig for me the narrow bed,
Now I am bereft.
All my pretty hates are dead,
And what have I left?

Title: When viewing the title, “Wail”, it first gives the reader the implication of sadness or depression. The title implies that the speaker of the poem or the subject of the poem is suffering or introduced to something so devastating or painful that they are expressing this through their cry.
Paraphrase: Wail, love has gone away but it is not the worst. I could do without it but it has not been the first time. Joy has gone out the way it came. That is nothing new. I could get along the same as everyone else does. Dig for me the grave now that I am deprived of such a thing. All my pretty hates are dead and what have I got left? Connotation: The title is highly depressing due to the fact that it implies to the reader that the speaker is in pain or suffering. When someone wails, they are verbally expressing their emotions because they are no longer bearable to contain inside one’s heart. “A-rocketing”…I must say this is a really playful way to describe losing something as valuable as love. It is interesting that the speaker follows this highly positive connotative word by using such a powerful word as “worst” to show the contrast between her attitude and the actual situation. Losing something as meaningful as love would not be so passively released from her heart and mind as she implies. When Parker refers to love as “the thing”, she implies the meaningless nature of the situation and the fact that it is inferior to her. The phrase, “joy has gone the way it came” expresses the speaker’s disappointment although the inverted syntax implies that she is trying to deceive her reader. By saying that it is “nothing new”, she seems to be shrugging off the matter. “Narrow” implies a confined space implying the fact that the “bed” she refers to is a coffin and that the reader should expect her death. “Bereft” has two different connotations to it because it may mean, “to leave desolate or alone, especially by death” or “to take (something valuable or necessary), typically by force”. I find this clearly a very witty use of the word. It is amazing how Parker manipulates the way she chooses her word because it exemplifies the underlying theme of this poem. The first literal definition of the word is referring to how love was so curtly stolen from her. The other refers to the fact that she is not able to accept this and wants to take her own life because the end of the world has come because of this. The thing is, this makes the poem ironic because there are two different tones going on here. The speaker is bluntly stating her indifference and nonchalance towards the fact that she has lost her love. At the same time, her highly connotative diction implies that she is deeply affected by her tragic loss.
Attitude: There are two different attitudes expressed in the poem. The speaker is bluntly stating her indifference and nonchalance towards the fact that she has lost her love. At the same time, her highly connotative diction implies that she is deeply affected by her tragic loss. This creates the poem’s ironic tone.
Shift: I’d say there is a severe shift after “I could get along the same” because at this point, the reader is able to see the speaker’s real attitude about her subject rather than the façade she was originally trying to portray to her reader.
Theme: The theme of this poem is that no matter how humans try to deny (that when their love has departed or gone away) their feelings, they are obviously hurt and devastated when this takes place. It is up to them how they react because as we see, the speaker is truly over exaggerating.
Title: I am honestly not sure here is Parker is trying to be sarcastic about how devastating the effects can be able losing someone you truly love or is demonstrating how humans often try to deny their feelings and pretend such an important aspect of their lives does not have a meaning or significance when it is lost. I think this is what makes this poem interesting to me because there are two different ways the poem can be viewed and it is really up to the reader to make that personal connection.
Although, I must say that regardless of how the speaker feels, Parker is truly mocking the human tendency of attachment and love.