If I Were Not Liza Sudyina. Poem by Liza Sud

My assumption is that all of your poems are autobiographical, which means the I of the poem is you! Whereas for me the I is ambiguous, an adopted self, someone literary critics call THE PERSONA. I've read some Russian critics and they use that term too (or their translators) . But I rarely write a poem in which the I is consistently me. Often times I blur the identity of the speaker intentionally. You could do an analysis of my procedure and ask questions, like: WHY ARE YOU HIDING BEHIND A PERSONA? or WHAT AERE YOU HIDING? // This poem reads like the refusal of a proposal from a man named Boris, and the reason for your refusal is the refrain, IF I WERE NOT etc., which has two dimensions: I won't compromise my integrity & My values won't change even if you argue eloquently in your excellent speech. // I'm not sure why you call the poem ironic; it seems completely candid, honest, sincere, whereas irony is something of a trickster. YOU are not playing games with Boris but speaking directly without innuendo.

A beautiful poem.10 You might like my poem Forgiveness.