For Semra, With Martial Vigor - Ray Carver (Jeet)

The poem consists of two stanzas and is written in a very contemporary style.
The poet is with a first date or possibly with a prostitute. When she asks him how much writers make, he says that they often have to moonlight when they're starting off. It strikes her as odd that learned men might have to do menial jobs like sweeping floors. She is a foreigner for she alludes to her own country where a writer would never have to do such labor.
She goes on to implore him to write a poem, a love poem. He responds that all poems are love poems. It is a recurring theme in Carver's works that love for numerous objects, persons and even abstract ideas can prove to be a muse. The lady confesses she doesn't quite understand what that means; he proceeds to write nonetheless. She stops him, claiming she only wanted to see if he would write for her and asks to see the poem at a later time.
As the poet gets closer to her and puts his hand on her thigh, she stops him, indicating she wants to talk. She tells him of Istanbul's charm and asks him about Khayyam and Gibran. He confesses he doesn't know the latter and she inquires what he thinks of the military.
He admits he doesn't think too highly of it upon which she says that she rather does, having once lived with an army man, a real man.
Feeling the need to impress her, the poet, drunk and clumsy gets up to find a make believe sword and strut about like a military man. Instead, in his inebriated state, he ends up knocking over the teapot. He confusedly mumbles apologies first to the teapot, then to Semra. Observing his clumsiness she wonders aloud why she let him pick her up.
In the poem, I believe Carver is poking some fun at both the disinclination of writers towards the martial profession and also at his drinking - this is sadly ironic, for Carver, in his later years, abused alcohol before he eventually went missing.