"Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath

Most of the lines in this poem have denotative meanings of being fat, full, or large, in someway or another. After obtaining some internet advice, I found that the poem is about pregnancy, which makes a lot of sense. The first line of the poem is "I'm a riddle in nine syllables." The poem is made up of nine lines with each line containing only nine syllables. This repeated use of the number is representative of the nine months of pregnancy. Every line is a metaphor for being bigger while pregnant, for example: "A melon strolling on two tendrils," and "This loaf's big with it's yeasty rising." The speaker in this poem is, as stated, a pregnant woman, if not a pregnant Plath herself. Judging by the words she has chosen, it seems that the speaker is not happy with her pregnancy, or, at least, not happy with her psychical appearance and feeling, comparing herself to a melon and a elephant. Yet, out of all the negatively charged metaphors, there is one line of positivity. The line "O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!" suggests that perhaps, even though she is not happy with herself, there is a child inside her waiting to be free and that brings her a certain level of joy. Plath ends with the line "Boarded the train there's no getting off." This line relays a message of acceptance. Maybe not enthusiasm, but she knows the responsibility she has taken on.