"Quickdraw" is very much a wild west term. Which means two arrival turn back to back, then take 10 steps forward. After they face each other and shoot at instant. Whoever gets shot first lose. Just by look at the the tittle we can already recognise the wild west theme.
In the opening stanza we can see a simile being used to describe the two phone in the person's pocket "the mobile and the land-line phones like guns" The imagery here shows a person awaiting for the right moment very much like the gun-slinger anxiously waiting to quickdraw. Also the use of "mobile and land-line phones" are modern language. Furthermore the "slung" bring into the mind of the gun-slinger. The line uses the word "alone" to emphasise the isolation of the person due some type of confrontations the is going to occur. The next line we figure out the shot has been delivered by the "ring" of the phone then the "voice a pallet". This imagery very much shows the other person tongue the under the roof of the other person's mouth this is like pulling the trigger on the gun.
The first line of the second stanza shows the effect of the gunshot in other words picking up the phone. The result is very clever the partner has been "wounded" this show the partner is emotionally in pain. The whole reason why the first line of the second stanza is positioned that way is to give the reader immediate view of the next line as gunshot you would feel the pain immediately. Third line the second stanza agian uses modern language "I twirl the phone".
In the third stanza we can see an other immediate response which signifies an other gunshot. The third stanza is mainly uses old western language. For instance "high noon" is a direct film reference to a 1952 western themed movie called high noon, also hard liquor is a western style reference as well. The "old last Chance saloon" symbolises the breaking point of their relationship.
Finally at the last stanza we see the poet has written "sliver bullets of your kiss" this shows that anger has been killed with a kiss. Moreover the "sliver bullets" is used to kill werewolf this emphasises the how valuable the kiss was and how the anger has been tamed.
The structure of the stanza has deeper meaning behind it. The second and third stanza is in a shape of a gun which shows relates the theme of the wild west as well the title. Also the uneven shape of those two stanza show the uncertainty of the relationship. However the last stanza of the poem has very normal rectangular shape which suggests the argument has flared off. This means the structure and form reflects the emotions of the couple in the poem.
Analysed By Jinsa
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