Twice Shy
Heaney Describes a walk with the woman who would be his wife. As the speaker is walking by the riverside with her, he finds her stylishly attractive: "Her scarf รก la bordot, suede flats for the walk."
Heaney also describes time freezing when he is with this woman: on the ground "Traffic holding its breath" and in the air "Sky a tense diaphragm." There is sibilance in the sentence "Where swans swam," adding to the 'frozen time' effect.
The title invites us to finish the well known idiom 'Once bitten, twice shy.' suggesting that someone has been hurt in their relationship before, so they are careful to not rush things. That could also be why time seemed to be frozen when they were together.
by M. Deering
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