The short and to the point nature of this poem is refreshing. The slow reveal of the living situation is done well, with how it starts as “the summer I stayed with you,” then shifts to “on a pullout couch” followed by “in a room in an apartment” and finishing with “of a family of four.” The image progresses throughout, giving the feeling of peeling the curtain back little by little, starting with two people, then confining them to a couch, then confining the couch to a room confined in an apartment, then further confining the apartment by mentioning it houses a family of four.
I was confused by the opening line at first, and I didn’t understand how “the summer I stayed with you” could be “the coldest winter.” Upon rereading, it seems to me that the coldness is because “both of us could take me or leave me.” That’s a powerful line that indicates both the speaker’s low self-esteem and the other person’s lack of interest in whatever type of relationship they had together. I think it could be hinted at a bit sooner in the poem to really tie it together, but given that the poem is so short already, it may be difficult to make something fit.
Great poem. I really enjoyed this one, especially when I read it a few more times.