Analysis: The Wind Blows Through the Doors of My Heart

I believe this poem is about woman who is plagued by the “death” of her relationship. Not the literal death of a spouse but the death of passion and love that once filled her relationship. I use the word plagued because I feel throughout the poem she is looking at things that used to be enjoyable and wondering what went wrong. Also her reference to bees signifies that her mind is not at ease and her wheels are constantly turning trying to figure out what went wrong (bee’s buzz AKA her mind is buzzing).

When she states “the wind through my heart” we can assume that there are holes in her heart (because wind doesn’t normally blow through someone’s heart), which is referencing some kind of heartbreak or loss. The wind blowing out her candles can signify the passion literally burning out and something that was once light and full of hope is gone and now dark. Her reference to the scattered music sheet can suggest chaos and the stripped music notes that are now flat like black butterflies can all suggest that these things were once pleasurable to the couple and are now ruined. The black butterflies especially stands out because black butterflies symbolize death and misfortune. Another symbol of death is the reference to the birds’ nest. Some people believe that birds’ nests can symbolize the link between heaven and hell because birds can fly high in the sky and also walk on ground with us. Also a bird’s nest is a home and teacups are delicate things that are usually found in a home, so the smashing of these items can mean that a place that once felt homey and full of love now does not. The mention of the rattled bed sheets where love was made can mean that at one time their relationship was filled with love and excitement and a lack of sexual spark or passion is a very common reason for failed marriages.

Her reference to brides and her mother’s trousseau is significant because brides usually symbolize pure, new and virginal, so once again I am drawn back to the idea that she’s reflecting on a time her life where her marriage was new and happy. And the fact that after she connects the sheets to brides, she then says they are crucified which symbolizes sacrifice and death. In marriages there are many sacrifices and compromises that need to be made. So specifically since she mentioned the bed sheets I feel maybe she sacrificed her sex life with her partner because of work stress, being tired, or just busy in general.

Next she talks about the flowers she threw and left for someone to pick up. Maybe once she realized her marriage was failing she tried doing little things to bring the romance back into the relationship, but her husband never noticed and by that point the marriage was already damaged. When she states “wing after wing, through the rooms of the dead the wind does not blow” I literally see her roaming through the wings of her house just looking at everything and just very sad and disheartened. Also wings can be a play on words to mean wings of the house like I just stated or the wings or the butterfly/ birds bringing the concept of death back.

 

At the end I feel her tone change, its starts to lift and in my opinion I can feel a sigh of relief as she is coming to terms with the reality of the situation. When she described that the wind does not blow anymore and there’s no wheezing or “choking the cob webs in our hair,” cobwebs could symbolize the fights and issues that the couple had. We know she’s talking about a couple because she purposely wrote “our hair.” Her reference that the choking and wheezing are gone could mean that right then and there is when she realized the relationship is over. People say when a woman stops nagging her husband then she stopped caring. I feel the same goes with fighting, fighting could be a form passion and shows that the couple is still trying. Once it just becomes silent and two people start living two separate lives, the relationship is indeed over. I believe this being at the end of the poem signifies that finally she realizes it’s over. When she states, “It is cool here, quiet,” she’s stating everything in her home looks different post war and it’s a new feeling for her. When she closes with “but we will never lie down again” means that she is finally ready to let go of this relationship because she realized no matter how hard she tried the relationship will never be what is once was.