Expect Nothing
What is intriguing about this particular poem by Alice Walker is that it doesn't rely too much on complex poetic techniques to introduce an idea into the mind of the reader. It is quite frugal in its essence. Each line seems to be a bit of a fragment as if the poet is just reading out a list of things to do. Within this poem, there is an obvious manifestation of the incisive and minimalistic writing style of the poet. It seems like a list of aphoristic ideas. Despite the general absence of poetic techniques, there is an extensive use of enjambment, something that leads the reader to keep moving to the next line. This poetic device further enhances the impact of the poem.
Desire
In this poem, the poet talks about her innermost feelings, telling the reader that her desire "is always the same". What is interesting about the first line is the capitalization of "My". If one puts aside the fact that this could be because it is the first word of the poem, a number of alternative possibilities arise. Perhaps saying "My desire" is the poet's way of claiming ownership of what she feels is very personal to her. She believes that this desire has a way of taking control of her, and by saying "My desire", she is claiming her agency in the relationship she has with her desire. The poet further talks about how helpless she feels in the face of this desire, as "I want to stick my toe/& soon my whole body/into the water."
She then talks about desire transforming into devotion and becoming a positive force in her life. According to her, this is how she has survived. She uses the metaphor of "garden" to talk about her heart, about how she has to carefully grow this feeling within her heart.
