The article (see URL below) caught my interest enough to devote a good deal of time reading the New York Times article of June 18, 2021 by Dwight Garner and Parul Sehgal, both celebrated book critics for the New York Times. I was taken by the method of presentation of their critique and the research and detail they provide in analyzing the poem under the Times section heading close read.
The poem was written in 1976, at age 60, over a period of 2 weeks. Visuals show the nature of Bishop’s handwritten poetry and edits distorting and changing the pages, honing her ideas dealing with loss, changes of feeling, from straight on to a warmth of words and meaning–lost; a pair of cities, two rivers, a continent. With the word you, she is addressing the reader. We learn much about Bishops life, losses and love life.
Then we are introduced to the style of poetry called Villanelle, formal and structured. I hope you enjoy some part of or all of the article. I will read and re-read some of Elizabeth Bishop’s works.
URL https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/18/books/elizabeth-bishop-one-art-poem.html