“Can it be colder when I start to touch myself again, do the adhesions fall away? When slowly the naked face stops looking back and looks at the present, the sun of winter, of the city, of anger, of poverty and death and the lips open and say: do I intend to continue living? (Shakespeare 1-6) Each of Rich's twenty-one love poems shows the life she chose only for herself. They show his struggle to break out of the routine of city life and achieve the beauty of love. Through these poems we are taken through the ups and downs of his life. In the 19th century, at the beginning we start with the bass. With the first couple's jokes it is easy to realize that we begin with a certain sadness since the tone, becoming colder, could mean that she is going into difficulty. “As I begin to touch myself again,” this does not mean that she is literally touching herself, but it may be a recurring memory that causes her to have sad feelings. “When the naked face slowly turns from looking back and looks at the present.” I believe this is taking us from the past to the present. It shows us how one person can bring us back to reality. Modern poetry is very different from 17th century poetry, but it still manages to understand that one person can change your whole world, can get rid of your sadness, could just bring out the best in you.