The work of Rita Dove, a former U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winner, spans a broad variety of topics, including but not limited to motherhood, language, music, dance, history, and politics. Of course, these topics necessarily intersect, and she explores those sites of intersection with a deft hand and a gaze that is both universally intelligible and unmistakably her own. "Cozy Apologia" in particular is a poem that shows the close attention she pays to all parts of the world around her. Though this poem is tinged with sadness, it shows the way Dove is able to penetrate even the most mundane emotions, to interrogate and examine them.
Some of Dove's poems focus strongly on events in history and politics, in particular those that involve Black identity in America, and she is interested in exploring both well-known narratives, such as that of Rosa Parks, and those that have been lost to time, such as the story of her grandparents that she told in her semi-fictionalized book Thomas and Beulah; however, it is important to note that Dove does not desire to be boxed into any category of poets, and her poems reflect that transcendence of category. This poem appears more autobiographical and personal, though that is not to say it is divorced from more universal issues; this poem explores womanhood, the insecurity of technological modernity, and the nature of relationships. Dove in this poem does something that is characteristic of her writing: she approaches her own thoughts and fantasies with the same probing mindset that she would use for other events or issues. Though the slightly humorous tone lets the reader know that this poem is personal to the speaker, the poem shows us that contentment is just as important as pain and deserves the same amount of space on the page.
