The theme of this poem and others by Linda Hogan is: loss. Besides, we can find other rhetorical devices such as imagery, when she depicts water. Taken as a whole, the poem speaks of how water connects us and supports us.
This poem tells the story of a fisherman who pulls a fish out of the water and realizes that the fish is trapped in a hawk. At that moment the fisherman recognizes that he the fish and the hawk have become one, similar to the lovers who when they become one must separate for some circumstance and live with the loss and disillusionment.
This poem is complex full of metaphors and symbolism, it is difficult to interpret, but the author makes it clear that a sad poem, to reflect on death, loss and distance.
