Comment not only on the poem’s theme but also its form. Make sure you are providing an analysis rather than just a summary or description.
What circumstances gave rise to the poem?
What situation is presented?
Who or what is the audience?
What is the tone?
What form, if any, does the poem take?
How is form related to content?
Is sound an important, active element of the poem?
Does the poem spring from an identifiable historical moment?
Does the poem speak from a specific culture?
Does the poem have its own vernacular?
Does the poem use imagery to achieve a particular effect?
What kind of figurative language, if any, does the poem use?
If the poem is a question, what is the answer?
If the poem is an answer, what is the question?
What does the title suggest?
Does the poem use unusual words or use words in an unusual way?
The Way Damaged People Love
by Nikita Gill
Damaged people love you like you are a crime scene
before a crime has even been committed
They keep their running shoes beside their souls every night,
one eye open in case things change whilst they sleep.
Their backs are always tense as though waiting
to fight a sudden storm that might engulf them.
Because damaged people have already seen hell.
And damaged people understand that every evil demon
That exists down their was once a kind angel before it fell.
