immerse ourselves...to be welcomed into imprudence, the elevated tor, unbreakable oath." She seems to be reaching out, saying that people in general have succumbed to materialism, that the ideal of love as it was presented previously was something which is quickly becoming lost to humanity. The people will now turn to "witches," symbolically implying that mankind will follow a false path in the hopes of his own advancement.Although I was a bit skeptical of her poetry, not sensing a meaning behind the short choppy phrases which comprise her work, she won me over in the end. After reading some powerful poems such as Open Heart Surgery, Metaphor as Symptom of Reason's Despair, and the poem for which the book is entitled, Apology for want, it became clearer to me what her goals and intentions were. Mary Jo Bang wasn't making a social commentary for the sake of pointing out the sins of people and touting them as evil for the sake of exposing humanity's weaknesses. She is acknowledging the weak nature of "man" and holding us responsible for our thoughts and actions with one purpose in mind. Her poetry is intended to open the eyes of her audience, daring them to find that weakness within themselves. Mary Jo Bang's intention lies in the hope that she can help us to find and acknowledge that flaw of human nature within ourselves, and overcome it's temptations to transcend the material world into one where we will be at peace with ourselves....
