There are various types of poems. They can range from free verse, sonnets, ballads, and many others. Poems usually, but not always, have a deeper meaning behind them. The meaning of the poem may, or may not be obvious. Some poems may even have multiple meanings. The poem, by James Tate, “The Motorcyclists” is written as a narrative. It is written from the point of view of a woman, who is possibly the wife of the motorcycle driver based on the way she refers to the driver as “honey”. The speaker of Tate’s poem seems to be somewhat of a scatterbrain. The statements she makes and the things she thinks are all over the place. For example, in the first line of the poem, the speaker is thinking about how she thinks her “cuticles are a mess,”(1). Then, in the first line of the second stanza, she asks the driver of the motorcycle, “Do you smell garlic? Are we still in Kansas?” (15). She seems to be trying to get the driver’s…show more content… Tate makes it seem as though women talk just to hear themselves talk, even if it is about complete nonsense. It can be inferred that this is their way of filling the emptiness they get from silence. This is so they don’t feel so alone when they aren’t being listened to. It is indicated in the way that he portrays the speaker as a complete airhead. This is very evident in the way she goes from talking about becoming the first woman president, directly into what color she should make the bathroom fixtures, (29-34). This could be interpreted as an insult not just to the speaker, but all women in general. James Tate leaves the audience with the impression that all women are flighty. Tate makes it seem as though women talk just to hear themselves talk, even if it is about complete nonsense. Also, he is providing the audience of an example of how some women will talk to try and fill the emptiness they may feel from
