Safe space — Summary

Dave BontaAnxious

going where we are safe

as a lamb brought to table

in our sandwich selves

as Eve within Adam

who is even at home

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The poem sounds comforting at first: we are going somewhere safe. But the images that follow make that comfort feel strange. A lamb "brought to table" is safe only in the sense that it has been delivered, ready to be eaten. Safety and vulnerability seem to sit side by side.

The phrase "our sandwich selves" is odd and a little funny. It suggests people pressed between layers, tucked in and contained, perhaps also something to be consumed. Then comes Eve "within Adam," an image of one person held inside another, protected but also not yet separate or free.

The last line, "who is even at home," is open to more than one reading. It could mean Adam is at ease, or that being at home hardly means anything here. The speaker seems unsure whether this shelter is a gift or a trap. The mood is quiet, wry and slightly uneasy, as if the word "safe" is being turned over to see what is underneath.

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