Thetis

I shrank myself
to the size of a bird in the hand
of a man.
Sweet, sweet, was the small song
that I sang,
till I felt the squeeze of his fist.

Stanza 1 Analysis:
- The first line immediately presents an idea of a descent of a self-destructive nature which is then continued to portray a vulnerability within the overpowering "hand of a man" - in true Duffy style intoducing the feminist stance of suppression.
- "Sweet, sweet" suggests femininity and a delicacy that encompassed within a song, an outward expression that in birds is often part of courtship, for the male's benefit. It may be juxtaposed with this idea of courtship as she seems intent on pleasing the male "till I felt the squeeze of his fist". An action of brute force that caused her to transform.
- Thetis is a mythological goddess of the sea who may transform herself into anything at her own will. In this case she seems to be transforming out of necessity rather than desire. In the story she is forced into marriage and raped.

Then I did this:
shouldered the cross of an albatross
up the hill of the sky
Why? To follow a ship.
But I felt my wings
clipped by the squint of a crossbow's eye.

Stanza 2 Analysis:
- "Shouldered the cross of an albatross", whilst the first phrase suggests Jesus' crucifixion an albatross has connotations of good luck. It seems then that Duffy is suggesting she is trying her luck but is inevitably going to end up tied down as Jesus was on the cross.
- "Clipped by the squint of a crossbow's eye" - her freedom, flight if you will, has been obstructed by yet another weapon. First the fist now the crossbow - increasingly becoming more damaging?

So I shopped for a suitable shape
Size 8. Snake.
Big Mistake.
Coiled in my charmer's lap,
I felt the grasp of his strangler's clasp
at my nape.

Stanza 3 Analysis:
- "Shopped" and "Size 8" are 21st century ideas that refer to how women nowadays seek to find/please men, by being thin and looking pretty.
- The transformation to a snake is also cleverly highlighted by the sibillance that subtly threads throughout the stanza "Snake. Big Mistake" and "Grasp of his strangler's clasp".
- "Coiled" suggests something about to leap/attack but in this case is prevented via the entrapment of "his strangler's clasp".

Next I was roar, claw, 50lb paw,
jungle-floored, meateater, raw,
a zebra's gore
in my lower jaw.
But my gold eye saw
the guy in the grass with the gun. Twelve-bore.

Stanza 4 Analysis:
- Changing tact, from birds to charm, snakes to decieve now she finds herself attempting to intimidate "roar" and "raw".
- As she progresses so does the hunter "gun. Twelve-bore".

I sank through the floor of the earth
to swim in the sea.
Mermaid, me, big fish, eel, dolphin,
whale, the ocean's opera singer.
Over the waves the fisherman came with his hook and his line and his sinker.

Stanza 5 Analysis:
- Connotations of "sank" again suggest a descent. Furthermore that first sentence is also a common phrase when referring to wanting to dissappear from a situation i.e. I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me.
- As a sea-goddess one may infer that, either the hunter has penetrated into her world and her being or that she is finding solace in the place she knows best. She even describes a transition back into herself "me" - possibly letting her guard down momentarily?
- "hook, line and sinker" often refers to falling for something, being decieved.

I changed my tune
to racoon, skunk, stoat,
to weasel, ferret, bat, mink, rat.
The taxidermist sharpened his knives.
I smelled the stink of formaldehyde.
Stuff that.

Stanza 6 Analysis:
- All the animals she lists are fast, small and evasive - the chase becoming more dynamic and speedy.
- Taxidermist is a person, presumably male, who stuffs animales. Removes the souls - furthermore connotations of rape - taking something? Indeed Duffy uses humour in "Stuff that" not wishing to merely become some extrinsic trophy (formaldehyde is a posion which preserves the exterior)

I was wind, I was gas,
I was all hot air, trailed
clouds for hair.
I scrawled my name with a hurricance
when out of the blue roared a fighter plane.

Stanza 8 Analysis:
- No longer organic she has turned to something barely tangible, just as the taxidermist would wish to preserve the exterior she has removed it from herself - presenting only soul, "scrawled my name with a hurricane".

Then my tongue was flame
and my kisses burned,
but the groom wore asbestos.
So I changed, I learned,
turned inside out - or that's
how it felt when the child burst out.

Stanza 9 Analysis:
- "Flame" "burned and "asbestos" all connote danger, pain and passion and combined suggest some form or forced romance, rape for example. Furthermore fire consumes everything in its path solidfying this argument. Indeed she states "I changed" and described giving birth suggesting that the result of this rape was a child.