Upon first reading Amy Lowell’s poem “A Decade” appears to be a poem about
a couple who has met each other and saying how sweet they are like honey and red
wine Then it says you are fresh like morning bread. Then ending with how they
become completely nourished. After reading this poem several times it becomes
clear that a message exists in this poem. The message says that passion may
decrease in a long-term relationship, but love still goes on in the
relationship. Devices that help this message become true are similes, hyperbole,
white space and symbolism. There are two similes in the poem. The first one
states that “When you came you were like red wine and honey.” This means
they were sweet and there was a lot of passion in the beginning. The second
simile says that “Now you are like morning bread.” This is suppose to mean
your passion is gone, but there is still love in the relationship. Symbolism of
the title is another device use to describe this message. A Decade means that
the couple has been together for ten years and they love each other a lot.
Hyperbole is the third device used to describe this poem. When they say “The
taste of you burnt my mouth with is sweetness. How can something be so sweet
that it will burn their mouth’s very badly? The last device is white space. If
you turn you book so that the lines are vertical you can see a pattern. The line
starts and rises, then it decreases and decreases, then it goes a little up and
then back down. This describes the passion that was in their relationship. The
poet wrote this poem to show new couples what might happen, if they do get in a
major relationship with someone.