Coat

I recently went through a difficult break up and while I'm not going to dwell on it, I was reminded of perhaps one of the first poems to really 'speak' to me. I was sixteen and had broken up with my first boyfriend; I was young and confused and didn't quite know what love was, and I missed him afterwards. I somehow came across Coat, by Vicki Feaver.

Read it here: http://poems.buggslife.com/?p=322

There are a few things I really like about this poem. Firstly, its simplicity: at the age I was, and the emotional state I was in, it was straightforward and easy to understand! Secondly, I think it reflects some familiar relationship themes: feeling suffocated, wanting space, but also the feeling of being warm and safe with someone. And finally, what I liked and continue to like, is the sense of confusion and also the lack of resolve. The narrator gets what she wants (her space) but then she questions whether or not that was right, whether or not that was her real desire. Perhaps it was, perhaps it wasn't; all we're left knowing is that, for an undefined period, she misses what she has pushed away.

Above all, I think 'Coat' is realistic and in some ways, quite different to how some people perceive poetry as being over the top, romanticised, dramatic. Yes, it uses a metaphor, but in my quest to make poetry accessible, I definitely would recommend this as a starting point.