Told by a speaker who sees themselves as the opposite of the person they address, "US" is a poem about two contrasting people who are bound together. The speaker is chaos and turbulence; the other is serenity and tranquility. Yet the speaker insists on staying, claiming to be "here for the calm" while also admitting to wanting destruction. The language turns almost threatening, with talk of burning and a cage, as if the speaker wants to push the calm one into feeling rage.
Underneath that, there is vulnerability. The speaker admits they too will "cease," and that the other person cannot save them, like trying to rescue a sinking ship while standing safely on the shore. The mood swings between menace, pleading, and tenderness. The ending settles on a hopeful but fragile idea: together they could "make the galaxy bend," but apart, both come to an end. It reads like a messy love or close bond, where opposites are not enemies but halves of one whole.