The End of Poetry Essay Questions

Why did Limón title this "The End of Poetry"?

Much of what the speaker describes in lines 1-20, when seen through the lens of the title, evokes distance and separation. The language is intentionally opaque at times, the people are two-dimensional archetypes, and the daily life depicted seems isolating and monotonous. Limón chose this title because poetry is not fully able to heal this separation. It cannot replace real human connection; that is where poetry's abilities "end." The speaker is tired of everything feeling distant and disconnected, even poetry, and asks directly for human touch in the last line, something poetry cannot provide.

Why did Limón make this poem all one sentence?

The single run-on sentence form makes this poem feel as exhausting as the world the speaker is describing. There is no breathing room: no obvious pauses between lines given the frequent enjambment, no stanza breaks, and no sentence end marks. The repetition of "enough" makes the poem feel like a list, which can lack a clear ending, and breaks this list across lines to make it feel messier. The poem's runaway momentum crashes into the final line and its period, making it that much more surprising and resonant.