readers. He talks about wanting his poem to be complicated and intricate, he shows this when he says. “I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out”(line#5). He is trying to say he wants his readers to feel like they are a part of the poem to understand it. In this poem, Billy Collins uses strong metaphors that seem complicated however make sense. In one line he says: “All they want  to do is tie the poem to a chair and beat a confession out of him.”(line#10). He wants the readers to unveil the meaning of the poem slowly and thoughtfully, not because they are being forced to do it. He then talks about another torture method, beating a meaning out with a hose, as an over exaggeration of being forced to do something. Billy Collins personifies the poem in this metaphor. He then uses the metaphor of water skiing across a lake.”I want them to water ski across the surface of the poem, and wave at the author’s name on the shore”(lines #9-11). This is yet another metaphor talking about the intent of the readers that read his poem. What he means by this one, is that he wants his readers to read the whole poem, and try to spot the meaning underneath the “surface” and what the author may have intended to say with the poem. In conclusion, Billy Collins uses metaphors and strong visual imagery to convey his message, he also plays around with similes and personification. His main message is that he wants his readers to read the poem and slowly unravel the theme and the hidden topic, he does not want his readers to rush through it and find a superficial meaning.