Dear Jane Hirshfield from Simone


April 6, 2017

Dear Jane Hirshfield,

My name is Simone and I am a 13-year-old from Boston. I found your poem intriguing. A few lines were slightly confusing, but after rereading a few times and thinking more in depth about the meaning, I discovered how truly beautiful this poem is. The lines "Like a lover, your life bends down and kisses your life" really stuck out to me because I interpreted it to mean something like your life saying 'thank you' and 'good-bye' to itself (I assume this poem has to do with death). Another line that made me think was "But with the simple nod of a baker at the moment he sees the bread is finished with transformation." It stuck out to me because I thought of a person looking back on their finished life, feeling satisfied.

(Thank you so much for reading!)

Sincerely,

Simone
Age 13
826 Boston

P.S. Is the poem about anyone in particular? How did you feel while writing it? How do you feel about your own poem?

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