“Revel in the Post”

The “post” of the title describes the period after lovemaking—a time that the poem depicts as a heightened sensory experience: “[W]e hear, see, and feel the salts, sweets, and sunsets” (Line 4). The humans experiencing this quiet, post-coital moment are in closer communion with nature, which seemingly produces effects specifically aimed at the couple’s enjoyment: The idea that “Mother Nature lends / a fresh side of the moon to light your face” (Lines 8-9) makes it sound like the moon is turning especially to define the features of the speaker’s beloved for his idyllic delight. Likewise, animals produce music to accompany the scene appropriately, as “you hear virgin songs / from birds that have always sung” (Lines 14-15). The implication is that these birdsongs are expressly for the couple; the use of the word “virgin” to mean echoes the sexual exploration that preceded this paradisiacal moment. 

The couple soon leave their Edenic surroundings, however, as their sexual union sets up the perfect evening at the restaurant, where the man treats his wife “like the Queen she is” (Line 19) while looking forward to the next day, “which has no plans” (Line 24). 

“Meet You in the Middle”

The relationship dynamic described in this poem is compared to two neighbors toeing a property line. Moving to the edge of their respective properties, the bordering landowners meet at the fence dividing their domains. So it is, metaphorically, for the two people in the poem. Although this image is potentially anti-romantic, the poem stresses the importance and positive effect of boundaries.

The diagram above the text of the poem is of two triangles; the top one is inverted and sits on top of the lower one. One is filled in as black, the other appears only as an outline. This suggests that although the two people in the poem—lovers presumably, perhaps spouses—are opposites, they can still find a place where they can meet and understand each other: “[H]ere we’ll get along fine” (Line 5). 

“Truth Slave”

The theme of this poem is the need to cleave to the truth, which is personified as a woman that the poem’s second-person addressee might get the chance to live with. If properly treated, the Truth will grow old with you and will never leave. She will start out in your mind and heart as a tenant, but will soon become friend and family, and she will always give good counsel. Living with her may not always be comfortable; however, when there are temptations to be untruthful, she will make herself known in her guise as your conscience:

Never easy to live with

because she’s always in the know,

defending your court of conscience

when in the wind you blow (Lines 8-11).

The title of the poem alludes to a paradox: The poem argues that being in bondage to the truth enables a person to live more freely. It is also an multilayered biblical allusion, to St. Paul’s claim to be a “slave of God” (Letter to Titus 1:1) and his description of Christians as “slaves of God” (Letter to the Romans 6:22), and to Jesus’s teaching that “the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).  

“Certainly”

This poem is metafictional and self-referential. It reflects McConaughey’s constant impulse to impart his wisdom to others, which he realizes is too confrontational. This poetry collection is one product of his certainty that he is right; this poem acknowledges the potential selfishness of demanding that others adhere to his ideas. 

McConaughey admits that he can be a “dictator” (Line 3) and that he is overly competitive, always “going for the win” (Line 5). He acknowledges that he needs to show more “care and consideration” (Line 6), but refuses to back down from his certainty that “I’m seldom wrong” (Line 9). Still, he softens his approach by recognizing that “there’s more than one way to be right” (Line 10): Different opinions are valid and the truth is many-sided. 

In an interview with Keziah Weir for Vanity Fair, McConaughey explained that the last line of the poem is about his wife warning not to “mistake your selfishness for certainty,” referring to McConaughey’s belief “that true selfishness is actually the most selfless thing we can do [...] what’s best for us is actually what’s best for the most amount of people” (Weir, Keziah. “Matthew McConaughey Says He's ‘Peddling Belief’ as a Writer and—Maybe—a Politician.” Vanity Fair, 2025). 

“Stumble Forward”

This poem is about the messy business of progress. While finding our way, we sometimes allow ethical standards to slide: “[W]e tell the truth, we lie, / do what it takes to get by” (Lines 7-8). However, if we follow a musical metaphor of “minor chords and major threats” (Line 9), life can become a productive melody: “[O]ut of tune between right and wrong / until we stumble upon a song” (Lines 11-12). This means that after confusion, discomfort, and missteps, life unaccountably starts to hum with gaiety and cheerfulness. 

The repetition of the word “stumble” is important: The precious moment of transformation does not come as a result of planning or foresight, but is a moment of serendipity, an offering from somewhere unknown, that brightens our path and makes it easier. 

“Selfish”

In the introduction, McConaughey writes, “in God’s economy, service serves me” (19). Using his definition of a specific kind of selfishness as the ultimate selflessness, the poem is a prayer for self-improvement. The speaker realizes that he cannot make all the changes he needs to in his interactions with other people without God’s help. He is clear-eyed about falling short of what is required of him. He does not varnish the truth or seek excuses for himself but has the humility to pray for help to better serve the needs of others and to better know God. In focusing on self-improvement that will benefit others, the speaker models McConaughey’s idea of constructive selfishness: working to make yourself a better person for others through an appeal to the divine. 

“Rhyme and Reason”

The poet derives a lesson from his observation of nature. The gentle Sunday rain—personified as a female entity—relaxes him and suggests that the next day, he be similarly gentle when writing a poem. 

The poem illustrates McConaughey’s interest in two aspects of creativity, which he calls reason and rhyme. For him, “reason” is the rational side of the mind that creates and shapes meaning; “rhyme” refers to rhythm, inspiration, and the imaginative magic by which a poem first enters his head. Both are necessary and he finds them both in the weather he describes. The rain soothes him, drawing him away from his ambitions and thus supplying the right atmosphere for “rhyme” to emerge. The next day he will shape this emergence with “reason,” and thus a new poem (perhaps this one) will be born.  

“Daughter’s Bed”

This poem is about the difficulty of sobriety. The speaker, who has not touched beer for 48 hours, finds respite from his discomfort by lying on his young daughter’s bed in the late afternoon. Although he has not given up drinking entirely and is just “takin’ a peek on the other side of the fence” (Line 8), the effort of staying sober has made him tired. Normally, although the sun is going down, he would just be starting his day. 

But now, by bonding with his daughter’s room and belongings, he is hoping to recalibrate and reaffirm his purpose and obligations regarding taking care of his children, loving his wife, and regarding all men and women as his brothers and sisters. Sometimes he looks in the mirror and does not recognize himself, and he implies that he wants this to change. He hopes that napping on his daughter’s bed, “on the innocence of cleaner sheets” (Line 17), will help him to come back to his true self. 

“Valentine’s Day”

Not all love is happy. This poem explores the disconnect felt on Valentine’s Day, the day that celebrates love, by couples whose relationships are dysfunctional. 

The speaker describes two people who want different things. The man finds the woman too demanding, and realizes it is time to move on—a clean break about which there is little to say. However, the final line raises some ambiguity about the action of leaving the relationship: “And that’s when my feet stepped away” (Line 4). Ascribing agency to his feet, rather than calling it a conscious choice of his mind, disconnects the speaker from his decision. While the poem is clear that ending the love affair was right for the man, the ending raises questions about his potential tendency to evade blame and responsibility for his actions.