Ebb

The theme of death occurs in Line 2 when the speaker announces that her partner’s love has “died” (Line 2). The death of love leads to change. The implied transformation occurs in Line 1 and 2 when the speaker states, “I know what my heart is like / Since your love died.”

The notable words that signify a change in these two lines are “is,” “since,” and “died.” The verb “is” indicates the present. Right now, the speaker’s heart is like something, which indicates that previously (in the past tense) the speaker’s heart was like something else. “Since” is a preposition that tells the reader that something has indeed happened during a given period. There’s been a change, and the change is a direct result of the speaker’s love, which has “died.” “Died,” too, is in the past tense. The speaker describes a substantial change. The death of her partner’s love has altered her keenly.

Now, the speaker’s heart isn’t so full or fecund. It’s “hollow” (Line 3) and occupied by only a “little tepid pool” (Line 6). This is the present state of the speaker’s heart, and its change connects to the death of love. The departed love has reshaped the speaker’s heart for the worse; it’s small, barely warm, and slowly drying up. The decay has put the speaker in danger as the breakdown drives her to a “ledge” (Line 3) or “edge” (Line 7). It’s as if the speaker is at a tipping point and not in a solid, steady space. She's in a fragile state, as it’s rather easy to fall from a ledge or edge. The “Drying inward” (Line 7) furthers the theme of precarity as it makes it seem like a disease is consuming the speaker from the inside and causing her to wither away. It is as if the death of her partner’s love pushes the speaker to the brink of death.