Analysis of "Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter"

In, "Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter," Robert Bly uses an earnest tone and imagery to describe the nerves of someone who has to mail a letter, but is having second thoughts. In the poem, the speaker is driving through town to go deliver a letter but just before they are about to drop the letter in the mailbox, they get cold feet. When the speaker says, "There is a privacy I love in this snowy night/ Driving around, I will waste more time," it is clear that they are just trying to work up the courage and waste more time before they absolutely have to send the letter. Through the image of the main street being deserted, the audience knows that it is late at night and the speaker has been contemplating sending the letter for a long time.