Poem link: https://nationalpoetryday.co.uk/poem/promises-like-pie-crust/
Analysis:
This is a captivating
poem that represents a woman who believes in freedom more than promises. The
woman prefers her liberty and wants to be independent. After reading the poem
it is obvious that she does not fear saying ‘No’ to the man she is not
interested in anymore. Similarly, the girl is challenging the norms by not being
dependent on the partner and prioritizing her liberty.
The title of the poem
“Promises like Pie-Crust” depicts that the promises are like the crust of a pie,
sensitive and tender. The crust of the pie is a metaphor here that shows the
delicacy of promises and they can be broken easily as if they are made to be
broken. I have observed themes of fear, disloyalty, and freedom in the poem.
Moreover, the narrator of the poem seems to be a girl who is sharing her
feelings with one of her beloved. The tone of the poem indicates that girl does
not want to be in a relationship anymore and she wants her freedom back.
The first stanza of the
poem shows the theme of fear. The line “Promise me no promises” reveals her
demanding tone of no promises of being together with her friend in a
relationship. This stanza also shows double meaning. On one side, the girl has
a negative perception of promises and she fears being bound in any commitment
because she believes that promises are so delicate to handle and can be broken
easily. Because once any promise is broken or not completed it haunts us for
our whole life. But on other side, despite not believing in promises, she asks
for one promise of ‘No Promises’. Another theme that can be seen in the first
stanza is the theme of freedom. The girl believes in freedom and liberty and
thinks that promise might limit them. She prefers liberty to be engaged in
the relationship. I do not know exactly at what times this poem was written but
maybe the female author tries to challenge norms at that time by not submitting
to her partner easily. She does not want to depend on her lover. She also poses
a question to her friend by saying that if she could not know about his past
how he can know about hers. Again, this question emphasizes her wants for
freedom. She does not want her lover to even question her past. She does not
want to reveal her past identity because sometimes some people hurt you by
mocking your past.
The second stanza of the
poem illustrates the theme of disloyalty and jealousy. “You so warm may once
have been...warmer towards another one” discloses that her friend was more
loyal with past partners. At once, his friend’s feelings were warm towards her
but now it has become cold. The girl is not sure what fortune holds for their relationship
because no one can predict the future. But at the moment she does not want to
marry her friend.
In
the last stanza, the girl says to her friend that pledge of being together will
lead him to great sorrow and their freedom will be lost. Moreover, she might
end up breaking the bond between them. The poet has used the phrase ‘break the
chain’ that is a metaphor for breaking the bond or
relationship. Moreover, the girl wants to be friends. The poet has
used personification ‘frugal fare’ for relationship. The girl believes in
flourishing with frugal love as she does not want to die of excess love.
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