Driving to Town Late to Mail a Lette

Robert Bly, in his poem “Driving to Town Late to Mail a Letter,” uses a calm, pleasant tone, created by imagery and syntax tools, to invite the reader into his experience of mailing the letter. By describing the “swirls of snow” or the “cold iron,” the reader can easily relate to the little experiences of a snowy night that may seem insignificant, but in this poem, create the scene. The short sentences, some even broken up into different clauses, allows the reader to remain calm and let each idea create the picture of a snowy night. These tools create a calm tone that allow the reader to get lost in this snowy night and “waste more time” just like the author writes.