(4) Base Camp
Once you get some historical background on what the poem is actually about, it's not too hard to figure out this poem. What we love about "Parsley" is the way in which it uses that great metaphor – the spring-parrot – to bring the whole poem into focus. That metaphor is a little complicated, and can mean many things, which is the awesome part if you ask us. But on the "plot" level, this poem is pretty straightforward.