Of Three or Four in the Room
Of Three or Four in the Room - meaning Summary
One Always at Window
The poem portrays a small group in which one person is always at the window, compelled to witness violence and suffering beyond the room. Images of fires, returned bodies “like small change,” and unread messages suggest collective numbness, displacement, and failed communication. The speaker contrasts physical presence with emotional and moral absence: people remain together but are internally divided, unable to address or receive the urgent truths arriving from outside.
Read Complete AnalysesOut of three or four in the room One is always standing at the window. Forced to see the injustice amongst the thorns, The fires on the hills. And people who left whole Are brought home in the evening, like small change. Out of three or four in the room One is always standing at the window. Hair dark above his thoughts. Behind him, the words, wandering, without luggage, Hearts without provision, prophecies without water Big stones put there Standing, closed like letters With no addresses; and no one to receive them.
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