What poem spoke to me?

The poem I chose from Nye's book was "Two Countries." My first reaction to this poem was sadness and loneliness. The tone of this poem is somber; definitely not as upbeat as other poems I have read, but it seems that most of her poems are quite somber. The first line, "Skin remembers how long the years grown when skin is not touched, a gray tunnel of singleness" sends the message of sad years spent alone, almost forgotten it seems. The first stanza is telling a story, almost like a background of what the skin, or person really, has gone through and felt. In a way, the first stanza is the past emotions of this "skin" and as the poem progresses to the second stanza, it takes us to the present emotions. I find that Nye does this often in her poems, how feelings of despair and sorrow often are found in the beginning of the story and have either disappeared or sunk in towards the end. Progression of emotions really seems to be a theme with Nye's poems as well as sorrow. One of my favorite lines from this poem that I really took away after reading this was, "skin had hope, that's what skin does. heals over the scarred place, makes a road." Nye could have been talking about many events that scarred her and have healed over, maybe it was the attack on Septemeber 11th, 2001, but this line makes Nye relatable to her readers. Everyone has scars, physical and emotional, that have affected them but has healed and made them who they are today; it paved the road to a newer life. The two countries that Nye particularly talks about is most likely America and the Middle East, and how her skin misses being touched by each one and remembers each vividly. Towards the end, Nye talks about the places people go that are larger than themselves. Wherever a person goes, it is always remembered in their skin and soul, and once they are touched by something so big, it will stick with them forever.