Date of Award
Spring 5-2-2025
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English and Linguistics
Department Chair or Program Director
Levin, Jonathan
First Advisor
Laura Bylenok
Major or Concentration
English (Creative Writing Concentration)
Abstract
This chapbook manuscript focuses on themes of sexual identity and yearning. The sequence of poems follows a speaker who indulges in the delusion of being in a romantic relationship with someone they were once friends with. In the manuscript, the speaker must sort through his emotions and accept his truth to have closure from this friendship. The sequence encapsulates a variety of forms. One recurring form throughout the sequence is the alignment of text on the page to signify conversations between the speaker and his imagined lover. The speaker’s dialogue is aligned to the left, and the imagined lover’s dialogue is aligned to the right. Furthermore, the text alignment to the right side of the page is used to showcase the attraction the imagined lover has on the speaker, which is showcased in the poems “Ghosts” and “The Let Down.” Overall, these poems represent the turmoil of being in love with an idealized version of a person over who they are in reality.
Recommended Citation
Heske, Zachary, "I Let the Ocean Hear My Song" (2025). Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects. 625.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/625