Poetry: forms, history, and literary significance

¶ … heroin addiction that St. Germain has as well as her relationship with her brother. The poem gives a vivid description of the entire injection process. There is personification when giving a description of the veins where the piercing is to be done so as to get the heroin into her system. The veins are described as being al blue and throbbing just wanting to be pierced. The use of the personification of the veins intensely brings out the message of the urge that he had to get the heroin into his system. The grip which the brother had on the opposite arm is likened to a grip which is as tight as death. This communicates the message that when piercing is being done there should be a tight grip probably so that the process can take place smoothly and also showing the serious needs of the process that is going on. This whole description is quite engaging as it clearly shows how the piercing process takes place and the urge that his brother has when doing this.

However there is a twist that comes in when St. Germain invasions her brother in a sexual way. She looks at the penetration of the needle and within her there is generation of some effects which make her view her brother as a lover. She describes how the needle should enter the vein from her point-of-view. She describes how the needle could enter the veins and compares it to how she can enter her brother with a slight push, firm but not too deep. She goes on describing how her entry would be slowly, very still and with no movement. This brings out the sexual desire that she harbors inside probably due to the effects of the use of heroin. She talks of her brother in a manner in which only lover's talk of each other. She describes the movement of his lips when he tells her to open her arms. She describes it as being very careful. She also insinuates how he was very good when sliding the needle into her. There is use of a lot of figurative speech here.i personally interpreted this as incest since this is a conversation between a brother and sister. But is this really possible when given a thought? Can she actually develop such sexual thoughts when it comes to her real brother? Is this possible in real life or can it be concluded that the reason for this is purely due to the effects of the drugs?

There is a description of her feelings after the death of her brother. She says how the thought of her brother still stalks her dreams. However there is also another point being communicated that maybe the death of her brother did not go with the desires that she had inside. She says that death made no difference; the body is still in its state of huge wanting. When she sees her brother lying down on the floor death, she says nothing to anyone but still keeps inside the desire to use the drug. I do not see the reason as to why she still has those feelings inside even after the death of her brother which has been caused by drug use.