All the Letters I Can Write

All the Letters I Can Write - meaning Summary

Sensual Language as Gift

The speaker insists that ordinary written letters cannot match the quality of the present expression. She characterizes her message with rich, tactile metaphors—velvet, plush, ruby—to suggest a physical, luxurious offering rather than abstract prose. The final image compares the addressee to a hummingbird that sips the speaker, reversing roles of suitor and consumed and implying intimacy, surrender, and concentrated pleasure. The poem compresses desire into a small, sensory tableau meant to outstrip conventional correspondence and communicates an intensely personal, embodied form of address.