Mike's Questions

Why is the beloved the bread and the knife?

I think it's supposed to sound like the beloved is something that can sustain the author the way bread can fill up a person up. Or when you include the next line about the wine it sounds like some sort of Biblical allusion.

Why does he repeatedly ensure his beloved that she is the bread and the knife?

Probably for humor because it's sort of a ridiculous comparison to make.

Is there any relation between the objects of comparison?

I don't think so, and that's part of the point of the whole poem. They're just unrelated objects that sound nice to be compared with but when you really think about it, they don't make sense together. Collins is pointing this out by making even more outrageous comparisons than the original.

Are the objects of comparison random, or are they each chosen for a specific reason?

I think they were chosen specifically to be random, meaning he wanted them to seem incoherent because he feels all poems that rely on arbitrary comparisons to be incoherent.

Why is the poem entitled "Litany"?

I think I've heard the word "litany" used before when talking about some sort of prayer so maybe it's another call back to the original poem since the only lines he took from it were about bread and wine, which also have religious meanings besides their literal ones. That's the best I can do.

Is the poem just a joke?

Absolutely.