Limon’s poem “How Far Away We Are” is a poem about connection, through tragedy and the feeling of missing someone, as well as missing safety. The events mentioned in the poem all happened in the year 2011, and within a day of each other. The first tragedy connector mentioned by Limon is the Norway Terrorist Attack that occurred on July 22, 2011. Several people were killed in said attack, and Limon mentions it with “Yesterday so many dead in Norway.” She continues with the second connecting tragedy, which was the loss of Amy Winehouse. Winehouse passed on July 23, 2011, a mere day after the Norway attack, which is mentioned with the line “Today a big-voiced singer found dead in her London flat.” These events are brought up by the speaker to show the tragedy spinning around the world, and that they two are witnessing them like the intended person they are speaking to. Showing that even though there may be physical distance between them, they are still together.

When it comes to connecting with the intended audience, the speaker gives details admitting where they are, so the person receiving these words can envision them, almost making them materialize. The line “So we might understand each other better: I’m leaning on the cracked white window ledge in my nice pink slippers lined with fake pink fur,” helps with this envisioning, by giving the physical appearance of the speaker. Doing this shows comfort and intimacy, since the speaker is letting the intended receiver know every little detail whilst they are writing.

Limon’s diction in this poem really gives way to show how much the speaker craves the person receiving this message, and showing the steamy, hot July being lived in. One line really sticks out with the heat aspect with “… the sun’s too hot to sit in, so the table glows on alone like bleached-out bones in the heat.” Using this diction, especially the “bleached-out bones” shows how you hot it is and can make you think of those times where bones bake in the heat in places of extreme heat. It helps the reader really feel the heat that the speaker is enduring, even if they are apart. You can also feel the craving with the lines “I want to give you something, or I want to take something from you. But I want to feel the exchange, the warm hand on the shoulder, the song coming out and the ear holding on to it.” This shows the true craving of the speaker, how they long for this closeness and intimacy from the intended audience.

When it comes to layout, it as all-in-one stanza. Which shows the stream of consciousness of the speaker. Since this poem is meant to be a letter to someone, this stanza structure makes sense, showing how the person keeps bringing up anything they can think of to mention.

Limon’s book Bright Dead Things does largely mention moving away from her life and the world she knows, all to a rural area. So, this poem is about writing to those people, and longing for your family. Limon mentions her move from normalcy to “isolation” it in several poems and is mainly the first third of the book.

I, personally, resonate with this. I’ve moved my entire life, and abandoned people who I was really close to. It hurt. It makes me think of all the friends I used to have that I never spoke with after moving. It makes me think of the lonely times I spent looking around a new house, wondering if this time, everything will be different. It makes me wish that I too had written letters.

Word Count (Not including sources): 615

Bibliography

Duncan, Hamish. 17 April 2018. Unsplash. Picture. 8 February 2026. <https://unsplash.com/photos/man-wearing-gray-and-black-crew-neck-shirt-standing-and-looking-out-window-jo8iiwArHfM&gt;.

Limon, Ada. Bright Dead Things. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2015.

“Norway attacks: The victims.” 15 March 2016. BBC. 6 February 2026. <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-14276074&gt;.

Wilmes, Tom. “Ada Limón’s Kentucky Home.” 27 September 2022. Garden & Gun. 8 February 2026. <https://gardenandgun.com/articles/ada-limons-kentucky-home/&gt;.

Wilson, Cherry. “Amy Winehouse found dead aged 27 in London home.” 23 July 2011. The Guardian. 6 February 2026. <https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jul/23/amy-winehouse-found-dead-27&gt;.