In the Night

I longed for companionship rather,
But my companions I always wished farther.
And now in the desolate night
I think only of the people i should like to bite.

by Stevie Smith

I think Smith is saying that when she was younger she wished for many friends and companions to fillup her days and ways. But when the so called friends and companions did inhabit her life, she was always disappointed by them and only ended up wishing them away. Now that she is older and wiser- and as she spends her solitary, lonely nights thinking back - she remembers all those people who proved to be hateful, or unloyal, even detestable and would actually like to bite them out of some kind of revenge for wasting her time. thanks, s hamilton