"Mean Time" is a poem originally published in Carol Ann Duffy's 1993 collection Mean Time. It describes the experiences of a speaker suffering in the aftermath of a breakup. As the speaker wanders the streets on a winter evening, she muses about her regrets, her feelings of hopelessness, and the unforgiving nature of time itself.
The poem consists of four quatrains written in free verse. Though it contains no consistent rhyme scheme, Duffy does make use of rhyme, including slant rhyme, throughout. The work also makes heavy use of enjambment, assonance, and personification, particularly through its personification of the concept of time. Like much of Duffy's poetry, this is a highly accessible and candid work, written in plain, conversational language.
This poem fits into a long tradition of poetry exploring the theme of time, including the relationship between time and death. Moreover, while the speaker's sexuality is not specifically mentioned, Duffy's own prominence as a gay poet has caused many critics to interpret this poem within the queer literary canon. As a poet laureate of the U.K., Duffy is a popular and widely read poet, and "Mean Time" is among her most well-known works.
