When I first read this poem, I looked up the title, Arroyo : 1) A deep gully cut by an intermittent stream, a dry gulch. 2) A brook; a creek. I feel this is a persona poem where we get perspective of an Arroyo, as well as another entity there "living" through the experience. The poem starts out with a curt opening statement, "In this place we define things." which is then followed by the fragment, "In terms of absence." In my mind, I think both sentences go together, something like "In this place we define things in terms of absence." But the period in the middle separates the ideas, and with being so abrupt absence is noted. I do think the two sentences are different ideas to punctuate absence like, "No new air. No saving grace." No salvation in place. "Our suspicion is: There are better ways of understanding. [Number them.]" The punctuation slows down each statement and makes me wonder: Who is the "our"? ...
Formerly the RetailMFA, This is the Poetry Blog of Darrell Dela Cruz