Grief
In the poem “Grief” the speaker recalls the moment when they where finally able to understand what grief makes some people do. The sight of a boat as the first thing in the morning unexpectedly makes them remember a friend whose grief for his dead wife made him do a number of things his friends (including the speaker) thought ridiculous, such as setting a plate for her at meals.
On this particular morning however, the speaker was finally able to understand his friend’s actions, implying that they might have just recently lost their spouse as well.
Happiness
In the poem “Happiness” the speaker is looking out of the window while having their early morning coffee and observes two young boys, who appear to be friends, delivering the papers together.
The sight of the two gleeful boys makes the speaker very happy and lets them forget anything else for a moment as they reflect about happiness in general. The poem concludes with the speaker’s remark that it would be too early for such philosophical thoughts as they finally turn away.
Hummingbird
In the short poem “Hummingbird”, addressed and dedicated to a woman called “Tess”, the speaker imagines sending her a letter, only containing the word “hummingbird” and envisions how the letter will remind Tess of the speaker’s great love for her and their shared pleasant memories.
