Trees
We know by now that a tree isn't just a tree in this poem. Well—it is and it isn't. Ashbery seems to be using both ideas: one that gets at the idea that we should just dig things for what they ar...
Morning
Morning: it's not just the start of the day; it's a symbol too. So, the next time you find yourself pondering life's mysteries over a bowl of cornflakes, consider that it's not a coincidence that y...
You and I
Well of course we have to talk about the actual relationship, right? The "you and I" that we see is at the heart of the poem (no corny pun intended). The speaker's not just worried about "some tree...
Opposites
Sometimes they attract, sometimes they don't, but more often than not they tend to point at the way the world works. Our lives and the universe are all about opposites. We can't escape them because...