Elliptical

In Mullen’s free-verse poem, she writes a series of unfinished sentences with ellipses in the unfinished sections, which express a division between the first-person “we” and third-person “they” groups. It is up to the reader to fill in what the tensions between the two groups are, much like filling in a Mad Libs game. The emotional perspective constantly shifts throughout the prose-like poem from us making allowances for them to us calling them out for their unwanted behaviors. The juxtapositions often result from the use of transitional words known to show contrast between two adjoining sentences, ultimately portraying Mullen’s interest in how language works to suggest meaning.

In the first line, Mullen suggests that the “they” group is not able to accomplish something while the “we” group has desires about what they wish the “they” group would do or be like: “We all wish” (Line 1).  At the start of the second line, Mullen expresses the “they” group in absolutes: “They never…They always…” (Line 2). Then, she uses more language flexibility with “sometimes” and “once in a while” (Line 2), suggesting that there is some mobility in their behaviors. In the third line, the first word is “however” (Line 3), suggesting a counterpoint to her ending of Line 2. She goes on to speak of generalities of the “them” group in this line as well as the consequences of their general behaviors. The fourth line seems to inject more emotion and opinion into the sentences, as Mullen expresses their inabilities and muses about potential changes: “If only they would make an effort to…” (Line 4). Line 5 shows Mullen giving some understanding to the “they” group, considering their challenges and ignorance: “Many of them remain unaware of…” (Line 5).

In the sixth line, Mullen switches the tone back to judgment when she acknowledges that some “should know better” (Line 6) but softens it with the limitations of “their perspective” (Line 6). The end of Line 6 into Line 7 shows contrast with “On the / other hand” (Lines 6-7), as again Mullen brings up their flaws using the word “entitled” (Line 7). The intensity again softens a bit throughout the rest of line when Mullen asks us to remember something about them. This softening continues into the eighth line when she acknowledges the “enormous impact” (Line 8) that they have experienced. Yet, she does not leave it there, as she ends Line 8 with the contrasting transitional phrase “nevertheless” (Line 8), leading into the ninth and final line, which first addresses how their behavior feels to us and then moves into an unhopeful ending phrase about how our interactions with them have been, augmented by the word “unfortunately” (Line 9).