Young

The speaker describes herself as “a lonely kid” (Line 2), but she is also physically alone, separated from the other humans in her life. She “lay[s] on the lawn at night” (Line 6), watching the house that contains her family. Even her family members are physically separated from each other with her “mother’s window a funnel” (Line 9) and her “father’s window, half shut” (Line 11). Each person has their own place to which they retreat. The reader can only infer the reasons and the frequency of these retreats, though it appears as if the behaviors are standard. The non-human elements, or other species, mentioned in the poem are cloistered, almost like mini families, including the stars, the clover, and “the crickets ticked together” (Line 17). The speaker takes notice of these groups as if to show contrast between their clumping together and her unit, or family, choosing to separate. This self-isolation compels the speaker of the poem to question things philosophically or spiritually, including the visual capabilities of God and the change in her body from childhood to young adulthood.