“Cozy Apologia” is a poem by Rita Dove, the former Poet Laureate of the United States. First published in 2004, the poem meditates on the difference between romance and reality. Although the speaker’s relationship doesn’t live up to the ideals of teenage crushes and romance novels, the speaker defends her relationship. Indeed, as it's title makes clear, the purpose of the poem is to defend the ordinary, the everyday, the "cozy"—it is an “apologia” or poem of defense. The rewards of such mundane pleasures, the speaker argues, are deeper and richer than anything romantic fantasy can offer.

• Read the full text of “Cozy Apologia”

• “Cozy Apologia” Summary

• “Cozy Apologia” Themes

  • 

    The Reality of Love and Romance

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Before Line 1
    • Lines 1-30

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Cozy Apologia”

  • Before Line 1, Lines 1-3

          ...
    ... upon the page.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 4-8

    I could choose ...
    ... with furrowed brow

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 9-10

    And chain mail ...
    ... upon the enemy.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 11-13

    This post-postmodern age ...
    ... Event.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 13-17

    Today a hurricane ...
    ... kiss you senseless.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 18-20

    They all had ...
    ... and hollow center.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 20-24

    Floyd's ...
    ... of the Divine.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 25-30

    Still, it's embarrassing, ...
    ... time with you.

    

    

    

    

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• “Cozy Apologia” Symbols

  • 

    Arrows

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “arrows”
  • 

    Compact Disks and Faxes

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 11-12: “compact disks / And faxes”

• “Cozy Apologia” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • End-Stopped Line

    

    

    

    

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    Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “you—”
    • Line 3: “page.”
    • Line 9: “free:”
    • Line 10: “enemy.”
    • Line 13: “coast,”
    • Line 17: “senseless.”
    • Line 18: “Dewey;”
    • Line 19: “chewy,”
    • Line 23: “floors):”
    • Line 24: “Divine.”
    • Line 25: “happiness—”
    • Line 26: “us,”
    • Line 27: “news?”
    • Line 30: “you.”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 2-3: “blue / My”
    • Lines 4-5: “age / And”
    • Lines 5-6: “heart, / Astride”
    • Lines 6-7: “apart / As”
    • Lines 7-8: “allow— / There”
    • Lines 8-9: “brow / And”
    • Lines 11-12: “disks / And”
    • Lines 12-13: “risks / Event”
    • Lines 14-15: “host / Of”
    • Lines 15-16: “reminiscences / Of”
    • Lines 16-17: “boys / Whose”
    • Lines 20-21: “Floyd's / Cussing”
    • Lines 21-22: “your / Aerie”
    • Lines 22-23: “mine / (Twin”
    • Lines 28-29: “do / To”
    • Lines 29-30: “blues), / I”

  • Caesura

    

    

    

    

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    Where caesura appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “, ,” “, ”
    • Line 3: “, ,” “, ”
    • Line 4: “, ”
    • Line 5: “, ”
    • Line 6: “, ”
    • Line 8: “, ”
    • Line 9: “, ”
    • Line 10: “, ”
    • Line 11: “: ”
    • Line 12: “, ”
    • Line 13: “. ”
    • Line 14: “: ,” “, ”
    • Line 15: “: ”
    • Line 18: “—,” “, ,” “, ”
    • Line 20: “. ”
    • Line 21: “. ”
    • Line 22: “, ”
    • Line 23: “, ,” “, ”
    • Line 24: “, ”
    • Line 25: “, ,” “, ”
    • Line 28: “, ”
    • Line 29: “ (”

  • Alliteration

    

    

    

    

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    Where alliteration appears in the poem:

    • Line 3: “pen,” “page”
    • Line 4: “could,” “cause”
    • Line 5: “sure,” “shooting”
    • Line 7: “standing,” “silver,” “stirrups”
    • Line 8: “be,” “furrowed,” “brow”
    • Line 9: “free”
    • Line 10: “firm”
    • Line 11: “post,” “postmodern”
    • Line 12: “now,” “no”
    • Line 13: “nudging”
    • Line 14: “Big,” “Bad,” “brings”
    • Line 16: “teenage”
    • Line 17: “talent”
    • Line 20: “Sweet,” “center”
    • Line 23: “desks,” “computers”
    • Line 24: “content,” “Divine”
    • Line 26: “satisfied,” “simply,” “with,” “what's”
    • Line 27: “When,” “been,” “news”
    • Line 28: “because,” “nothing”
    • Line 29: “me,” “melancholy”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “pick,” “think,” “you”
    • Line 2: “wind,” “still,” “blue”
    • Line 3: “exudes,” “page”
    • Line 4: “choose,” “age”
    • Line 5: “heart”
    • Line 6: “far,” “apart”
    • Line 7: “silver,” “will,” “allow”
    • Line 8: “brow”
    • Line 9: “chain,” “mail,” “me,” “free”
    • Line 10: “enemy”
    • Line 11: “post,” “postmodern,” “business,” “disks”
    • Line 12: “risks”
    • Line 13: “nudging,” “up,” “coast”
    • Line 14: “host”
    • Line 17: “to,” “you”
    • Line 18: “sissy,” “Dewey”
    • Line 19: “chewy”
    • Line 21: “storm,” “You're,” “your”
    • Line 22: “mine”
    • Line 23: “floors”
    • Line 24: “short,” “Divine”
    • Line 25: “it's,” “this”
    • Line 26: “satisfied”
    • Line 27: “been,” “news”
    • Line 28: “will,” “do”
    • Line 29: “me,” “melancholy,” “blues”
    • Line 30: “fill,” “you”

  • Consonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where consonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “pick,” “anything,” “think”
    • Line 2: “lamp,” “still,” “glossy”
    • Line 3: “pen,” “page”
    • Line 4: “could,” “choose,” “cause”
    • Line 5: “sure,” “shooting,” “arrows,” “heart”
    • Line 6: “Astride,” “mare,” “braced,” “far,” “apart”
    • Line 7: “standing,” “silver,” “stirrups,” “will”
    • Line 8: “you'll,” “be,” “furrowed,” “brow”
    • Line 9: “mail,” “glinting,” “me,” “free”
    • Line 10: “smiling,” “firm,” “enemy”
    • Line 11: “post,” “postmodern,” “disks”
    • Line 12: “it,” “take,” “risks”
    • Line 13: “Event,” “Today,” “hurricane,” “nudging,” “coast”
    • Lines 14-14: “Big / Bad”
    • Line 14: “Floyd,” “brings,” “host”
    • Line 15: “daydreams,” “awkward,” “reminiscences”
    • Line 16: “teenage,” “crushes,” “worthless,” “boys”
    • Line 17: “Whose,” “talent,” “kiss,” “senseless”
    • Line 18: “sissy,” “names,” “Marcel,” “Percy,” “Dewey”
    • Line 19: “Were,” “licorice”
    • Line 20: “Sweet,” “dark,” “hollow,” “center,” “Floyd,” “'s”
    • Line 21: “Cussing,” “storm,” “bunkered,” “your”
    • Line 22: “perched,” “mine”
    • Line 23: “desks,” “computers,” “hardwood,” “floors”
    • Line 24: “content,” “short,” “Divine”
    • Line 25: “embarrassing,” “this,” “happiness”
    • Line 26: “satisfied,” “simply,” “with,” “what”
    • Line 27: “When,” “ordinary,” “ever,” “been,” “news”
    • Line 28: “because,” “nothing,” “will”
    • Line 29: “me,” “melancholy,” “call,” “blues”
    • Line 30: “fill,” “stolen,” “time”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 2-3: “the glossy blue / My pen exudes, drying matte / , upon the page.”
    • Line 10: “One eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy.”
    • Line 13: “Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast”
    • Lines 14-15: “a host / Of daydreams”
    • Line 17: “Whose only talent was to kiss you senseless”
    • Lines 21-22: “You're bunkered in your / Aerie, I'm perched in mine”
    • Line 24: “We're content, but fall short of the Divine”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Line 5: “sure as shooting arrows to the heart,”
    • Lines 19-20: “Were thin as licorice and as chewy, / Sweet with a dark and hollow center.”

  • Personification

    

    

    

    

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    Where personification appears in the poem:

    • Lines 13-14: “Today a hurricane is nudging up the coast, / Oddly male: Big Bad Floyd”
    • Lines 20-21: “Floyd's / Cussing up a storm”

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Line 2: “This lamp, the wind-still rain, the glossy blue”
    • Line 10: “One eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy.”
    • Lines 18-20: “Marcel, Percy, Dewey; / Were thin as licorice and as chewy, / Sweet with a dark and hollow center. ”
    • Lines 21-23: “You're bunkered in your / Aerie, I'm perched in mine / (Twin desks, computers, hardwood floors):”
    • Lines 26-27: “Who's satisfied simply with what's good for us, / When has the ordinary ever been news?”

  • Cliché

    

    

    

    

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    Where cliché appears in the poem:

    • Lines 4-10: “I could choose any hero, any cause or age / And, sure as shooting arrows to the heart, / Astride a dappled mare, legs braced as far apart / As standing in silver stirrups will allow— / There you'll be, with furrowed brow / And chain mail glinting, to set me free: / One eye smiling, the other firm upon the enemy.”

  • Apostrophe

    

    

    

    

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    Where apostrophe appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “I could pick anything and think of you”
    • Line 8: “There you'll be”
    • Lines 21-22: “You're bunkered in your / Aerie,”
    • Line 30: “I fill this stolen time with you”

• “Cozy Apologia” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Wind-Still
  • Glossy
  • Matte
  • Astride
  • Dappled
  • Post-postmodern
  • Big Bad Floyd
  • Sissy
  • Cussing
  • Bunkered
  • Aerie
  • Divine
  • Melancholy
  • Blues
  • (Location in poem: Line 2: “wind-still”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Cozy Apologia”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Cozy Apologia” Speaker

• “Cozy Apologia” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Cozy Apologia”

• More “Cozy Apologia” Resources

  • External Resources

    • "Cozy Apologia" Read Aloud — Theo O'Shaughnessy recites "Cozy Apologia."

    • Rita Dove — A detailed biography of Rita Dove from the Poetry Foundation.

    • An Interview with Rita Dove — Rita Dove discusses her work on PBS.

    • Rita Dove at the White House — Rita Dove reads two poems and is introduced by former US President Barack Obama at the White House.

    • An Interview with Rita Dove — An in-depth interview with Rita Dove at the Virginia Quarterly Review.

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