1. What connotations does the word ‘bomb’ have for you? 2. What connotations does the word ‘desert’ have for you?
3. What issues might a woman encounter when she is trying to talk with a man, and what issues might a man encounter when he is trying to talk with a woman?
COMPREHENDING AND RESPONDING 1. Do you like or dislike the title of this poem? Give reasons for your answer.
2. Why do you think bombs might be tested in the desert? Give reasons for your answer.
3. What do you think the river in line three might represent? Support your answer with reference to the poem.
4. What did this couple have to give up in order to get to this place? Support your answer with reference to lines 8–14.
5. What image of the desert do you form having read lines 17–20? Refer to these lines in support of your answer.
6. Explain the lines ‘Out here I feel more helpless/ with you than without you’ in your own words.
7. ‘In lines 28–39 the man is trying to delay the woman from saying something that he does not want to hear’. Do you agree with this assessment of these lines? Give reasons for your answer.
8. Many of Rich’s poems focus on relationships. Compare this poem with another poem that also deals with relationships.
9. What theme or themes can you find in this poem? Refer to the poem in support of your answer.
CREATING
1. You have created an online petition against the use of deadly weapons by any country for any reason. Write the text of the post that will accompany this petition. Use the language of argument/persuasion to persuade people to sign.
2. Write the text of a letter or an email ending an important relationship. 3. Write a short story set in a ghost town.
