Some Afternoons She Does Not Pick Up the Phone

Ice works as both symbol and motif in the poem. Symbolically, the ice represents the coldness of the outer and inner worlds, the frozen creative impulse, and the beauty and danger of nature. As a motif, the ice crops up in most of the lines of the poem, indicating the extent to which the landscape is dominated by this feature.

Even though the ice is “general” (Line 1) or ubiquitous, the speaker goes on to show how it is also very specific. Some bits of ice can have gravel in it, others range in color from blue to “greyblack” (Line 3). The ice’s ubiquity doesn’t imply that it can be ignored; instead, it is so overwhelming that the speaker feels compelled to observe its minutiae.

The ice also represents the speaker’s psyche. The speaker is awed and frustrated by the monotony and difficulty the ice brings. Thus, to the speaker, the ice represents something insurmountable, almost impossible to overcome. All the speaker can do at the moment is wait for the icy patch to pass and February to be over.

Carson plays with the dual meaning of the word “letter” to indicate the isolation the ice has brought upon the speaker. In the first instance, “not one letter” (Line 8) might imply that not even a single missive makes it to the speaker.