The stark but simple words are honest and conversational, supporting the idea that poetry is a debated opinion, rather than a creative piece written for pleasure. Another support provided by Pastan is the moon, as a symbol of witnesses to a tragedy. In his poem Pastan states, "Ask the moon. Ask what it has witnessed," the moon is symbolic of the night and the terrible tragedies the world has seen, from the Holocaust to 9/11 (lines 15-16). This symbol is important because Pastan emphasizes the darkness of the world and the point of view in which the poets see it