What is suggested by 'pier lamps, small as struck matches'?
The ferry coughs twice, then settles. Behind us the town lets go of itself:
first the pier lamps, small as struck matches,
then the bakery roof my father painted
the colour of weak tea, then the long grey church.
I had meant to wave. My hand is on the rail instead,
holding something it cannot name.
A gull rides the wake as if it were hired to.
Somewhere under the slow brown water
is every sentence I did not say at the door.
first the pier lamps, small as struck matches,
then the bakery roof my father painted
the colour of weak tea, then the long grey church.
I had meant to wave. My hand is on the rail instead,
holding something it cannot name.
A gull rides the wake as if it were hired to.
Somewhere under the slow brown water
is every sentence I did not say at the door.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. That the lights shrink and fade as the ferry moves away
- Step 1: The image compares lamps to matches that flare and go out. Step 2. The poem is about distance increasing. Answer: fading with distance. Why not the others: danger, cold and poverty are not suggested by the lines.
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