Tates Avenue

Tates Avenue lying on a rug in Belfast - place is silent, "locked-park" sunday- sunday was a joyless day of worship. parks locked games and sports forbidden.  poet aroused, girlfriend not interested. poet thinks of other rugs they have lain on upon different occasions. 1st stanza, early stages or relationship "vestal folds" being "unfolded" - loss of virginity, erotic encounter. 2nd stanza - scraggy rug beside spanish river. more mature and comfortable stage of early relationship, eating getting drunk having fun. poets frustration being once "again" in Belfast. "walled back yard"  compares unfavourably with other exotic settings. Belfast - confined ugly "dust-bins" girlfriend quietly reading book, vs other places open and expansive, exotic, drunk laughter fun themes - love, conflict and violence love - excitement and pleasure of young love - contrasted fun and passion outside Belfast to mundane sunday afternoons at home in Belfast. make an effort to enjoy themselves in confined spaces of relg. divided city. difficulty for love and passion to exist in a such a restricted and divided climate conflict and violence - "locked-park" suggests divisions and restriction of the time. surrounded by walls of the yard, uncomfortable, ominous "high and silent" dust-bins, watching young couple,, freedom felt outside Belfast contrasted with constraint and frustration felt within, dust bins rep people in favour of repressive culture - "high and mighty" yet only really full of rubbish

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