Ellie Levin Week 3 PAP 2: It Is In the Leaving, Nicole Blackman

 The poem “It Is in the Leaving” by Nicole Blackman talks about how painful it is when someone, presumably a lover, leaves. I love this poem because it goes in-depth about what seems like a long-distance relationship or any kind of relationship where time spent together is few and far between. The quote “airports train stations bus stops take us apart but we keep knitting together strangely inevitably even we don't question it anymore” describes the different modes of transportation possibly taken to reunite with this person and how they also separate them from each other. Not only that, but this means that these transportations can’t separate their feelings for each other, and they’ve gotten so used to it, but they don’t let it affect their relationship. Another quote I love is “each meeting is new is full of searching of notsureifitwillbethesame.” This expresses her concern that after so much time spent apart that it won’t feel the same and this person may be different or their relationship will differ. She’s afraid that things will change and although the “new full of searching” could be interpreted in a positive way, change is scary and hard, especially when it’s with someone you care about who you don’t get to see so often. Personally, I love this poem and the words and phrases used help you feel Blackman’s pain from when this person leaves, to how hard it is when they’re gone, and concerns for when they do return. The repetition such as “the day-counting the trip-planning the bag-packing” and “in the last look last touch last kiss” make the poem that much more intense and deep, pulling the reader in to sympathize with Blackman’s internal thoughts and feelings. Overall, this poem is very meaningful and deep and I love how these words Blackman uses make the reader feel and react.