Letter to Monica Alexandra Jimenez

 Hello Monica,

My name is Thaneshwar Ezhilan, and I am a senior at Troy High School. In my AP Lit class, we had to do an essay and a presentational project on a poem. And I chose to do your poem “Theft” as the poem’s rich and descriptive language caught my eye.

This poem confused me at first because of the metaphorical use of ocean jargon and the sudden transition into a call to action against a very real issue. I realized that this poem was not just about someone complaining about themselves but using this as a means of representing the voices of people who may have undergone oppression by something.

I came to the conclusion that this poem was about vocalizing the voice of people that were erased due to colonialism. The metaphorical description of the ocean worked really well when it was used to actually illustrate how their voices and events of oppression have been covered or suppressed, like the waves of an ocean. The ocean is also synonymous when referring to a deep, dark area full of secrets that have not and won’t be discovered.

I found the line “Pain is a difficult animal to domesticate” the most interesting. On the base level, this line is just saying that trauma is hard to overcome. But as the last line, this line leaves a lasting impact because it also suggests that pain can be a force that drives change, which further establishes the purpose of the poem.

But during the entirety of this project, there was an overshadowing question. This poem was published in 2025 but talks about colonialism. Since colonialism isn’t as big of a problem today as it was in the past, what was the true purpose of the poem being written in today’s day and age? Was it to spread awareness of these lost voices over time? Or was it to reminisce on the victims of the past? 

This poem had so many layers and details to it that tie into the main theme of the poem. Your thoughtful writing weaves together history, grief, and metaphor effectively and leaves a lasting impact. Thank you for your deep and thought-provoking piece.

Thanks,

Thaneshwar

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