Love After Love

By Derek Walcott

The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the others welcome,

And say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

TPCASTT

Title:

It's Not You, It's Me

Paraphrase:

A joyful moment is near,

you will see into yourself,

and find love,

You will offer love.

Unfamiliar to yourself,

you offer love.

Caught in greed,

you will recognize love.

Love yourself.

Focus on yourself,

and you will find love.

Connotation:

"Greet yourself" - There will be a time in your life that you will finally realize that taking care of yourself is important. When you realize this, you will be loved.

"Stranger" - One personality that has rendered your self a stranger as you put on many different masks to try to fit in to the world.

"Peel" - Find that you are the most important person in the world. Not someone who is caught up in their own problems.

Attitude:

Reincarnation

Shift:

7, 12, 15

Title:

Be Yourself.

Theme:

Love

Reflection:

I extremely liked this poem because I don't feel like the world should revolve around love, but should be about loving yourself. Some may say this is selfish, but it is caring for yourself enough that you care for others. When you care enough about yourself to get a different perspective of the world, you will find yourself being loved. You will find yourself revolving around your very own solar system, which will make you feel even better about yourself.