From what I understand of Tom Wayman’s poem, “The Poet,” the narrator is someone conveying negative thoughts about a person or a poet. The narrator of the poem is projecting the poet’s depressing state of mind or condition. The poet lacks a lot of the qualities that a normal person has; he has trouble doing arithmetic, reading, hearing, and remembering simple things, like what he ate for breakfast.

Some negative connotations that were repeated several times are “Has Difficulty,” “Cannot,” and “Does not understand.” One example of this is the line where the narrator states that he, “Cannot understand yes-no questions.” This is a type of question most people can answer without a second thought. The poet, on the other hand, is most likely lost in deep thought or is just plain absent-minded. Another example is, “Has difficulty recalling what he ate for breakfast, etc.” Ordinary people usually remember such mundane things.

I think the author chose to cultivate this mood because he wanted to show the thinking and characteristics of a poet. They are good at literature, but may not accustom to ordinary functions of daily life.