In Rossetti’s poem, “Promises Like Pie-Crust," she excavates the dormant hesitation that is brought about by a naive past relationship. This hesitation is verbalized through the use of paradox: “Promise me no promises, So I will not promise you.” This plea is the evidence of a previous betrayal of trust, prompting the resistance of anything involving a commitment. The line, “Keep we both our liberties” refers to the abstinence from promises and depicts how they are viewed as constricting and burdensome to keep. Freedom is considered lost through the moral obligation of a commitment when the poem states how, “If you promised, you might grieve for lost liberty again.” These short stanzas reflect upon old, brighter days as the speaker considers
