in response to Elliot

It seems to me that as the poem goes on, it becomes more reflective. Is Elliot looking back at his life here? Certainly he is wondering if what he's done has been worthwhile. He also spends a lot of time writing about intent and worrying that his audience will not understand as he had intended. He writes, "That is not what I meant at all. That is not it at all." This could be the author expressing that his work has been misinterpreted. More interestingly it could be the voice of God, expressing his discontent for man's reasoning as to the meaning of life.