Ballad

In the second stanza of “Ballad,” Sanchez lists what love is, first with the following: “the rain exploding / in the air is love” (Lines 5-6). The mention of rain suggests a natural element, one that provokes a negative or positive reaction. Rain is necessary to bring life to flowers, grass, and more, but too much can cause a flood, or even a melancholic mood. The word “exploding” intensifies the rain, making it closer to a storm, or even fireworks. The intensity implies that the feeling of love is overwhelming, almost to the point that it will burst at any moment because something at that level of intensity cannot sustain itself without causing damage. In the third stanza, the speaker reveals that she knew of love “once” (Line 14), suggesting that the level of intensity could not last yet produced lasting effects: “went / to sleep in love / all trace of me / was wiped away” (Lines 18-21).

In the second stanza of “Ballad,” Sanchez continues to list what love is: “and stones remembering / past steps is love” (Lines 9-10). With this figurative line, Sanchez empowers the stones to remember previous experiences of love.