THE TENANT: Stanza 1: Rejection due to heartbreak of the past.
No room for a new tenant because the old one is “still there”.
There is no room for you Luggage:
in my heart. The only tenant Memories that have been left behind.
who ever lived there left Literal luggage left.
some luggage behind. Luggage is personal.
Abandoned trash.
I didn't even evict her. She “who ever lived there left”: alliteration; repetition of hard “l" represents
simply left without a word. the lingering pain of her leaving.
I keep hoping she will come “some luggage behind”: extended metaphor; ongoing emotions of past
back and collect the luggage relationships compared to luggage filling his heart. Luggage is used for
or at least arrange for disposal travel, implying that she never intended to stay forever. Full stop = total
clean out the place, throw out finality; she is never coming back to fetch her things.
old memories.
I could possibly live with Stanza 2:
the marks on the walls. Some Didn’t want her to leave.
are completely indelible Left without warning and no explanation.
some I even like. “luggage” = memories, euphemism (emotional baggage).
“disposal clean out”, “throw out”: lots of verbs.
But you see I am afraid that
if it all goes, what will I do
Stanza 3:
with all that empty space.
“I could possibly live with the marks on the
walls”: can live with a few memories, some
Stanza 4: Emphasizes the fear.
cannot be removed.
“with all that empty space”: fear
“indelible”: permanent.
of being hurt again, or being
“some I even like”: not everything was bad.
alone.
About the poem:
Ode: lyrical poem.
Free verse: reflects the speaker’s emotion.
Inevitably someone will move out.
“Tenant”: not permanent.
Tone: mournful, sorrow, sad.
Doesn’t want to get into a new relationship, scared of being hurt.
The poem is an extended metaphor for someone who has lost someone.
No room for a new tenant because the old one is “still there”.
There is no room for you Luggage:
in my heart. The only tenant Memories that have been left behind.
who ever lived there left Literal luggage left.
some luggage behind. Luggage is personal.
Abandoned trash.
I didn't even evict her. She “who ever lived there left”: alliteration; repetition of hard “l" represents
simply left without a word. the lingering pain of her leaving.
I keep hoping she will come “some luggage behind”: extended metaphor; ongoing emotions of past
back and collect the luggage relationships compared to luggage filling his heart. Luggage is used for
or at least arrange for disposal travel, implying that she never intended to stay forever. Full stop = total
clean out the place, throw out finality; she is never coming back to fetch her things.
old memories.
I could possibly live with Stanza 2:
the marks on the walls. Some Didn’t want her to leave.
are completely indelible Left without warning and no explanation.
some I even like. “luggage” = memories, euphemism (emotional baggage).
“disposal clean out”, “throw out”: lots of verbs.
But you see I am afraid that
if it all goes, what will I do
Stanza 3:
with all that empty space.
“I could possibly live with the marks on the
walls”: can live with a few memories, some
Stanza 4: Emphasizes the fear.
cannot be removed.
“with all that empty space”: fear
“indelible”: permanent.
of being hurt again, or being
“some I even like”: not everything was bad.
alone.
About the poem:
Ode: lyrical poem.
Free verse: reflects the speaker’s emotion.
Inevitably someone will move out.
“Tenant”: not permanent.
Tone: mournful, sorrow, sad.
Doesn’t want to get into a new relationship, scared of being hurt.
The poem is an extended metaphor for someone who has lost someone.
