Immigrant Blues by Li-Young Lee

What does it mean to “be inside?” In Li-Young Lee’s poem Immigrant Blues, this phrase has two interpretations. First, it can mean sexual intercourse. The poet writes, “Am I inside you? I asked once / lying between her legs” (Lee 24-25). This “inside” is physical, sexual. However, to be inside can also mean something is emotionally occurring. “Practice until you feel / the language inside you” (Lee 12-13). Here, “inside” means to be “within.” The man says to practice the language until it is known by heart and with him always.
In a relationship, or when one is in love, he or she desires to feel as though they are inside – emotionally – the lover. He or she wants to be kept in the mind and the heart of the lover. Today, usually when someone asks someone else if he is inside her, it is a sexual and physical “inside.” This is a cultural phrase and is pretty blunt and vulgar.
This poem is written in free verse, which means it does not have a certain pattern or rhythm. By using titles of made-up stories, the author conveys his feeling of loneliness and loss.