alt.JPG)
Like
a hanger hook,
a hanger hook,
My chin's
over your shoulder;
over your shoulder;
Like
brittle
pond
ice,
brittle
pond
ice,
Carrots
in your
mouth
in your
mouth
Echo
through
your jaw,
through
your jaw,
across my face;
Like bread under
mold,
mold,
You are my mom.
You fall asleep;
You don't want me to go.
You think I'm young;
I think you know
Our inclines are
Inverse,
but still
but still
There's
where
where
We're from:
I was ball bearing-eyed
Then you splinted me;
scrape-kneed
and panicked
and panicked
So
you
hummed;
you
hummed;
Oil-faced,
confused, and
confused, and
you said
I was art;
I was art;
Far from
your nest
your nest
but
you'll always
you'll always
be
my
mom.
my
mom.
*Thanks Angela A. (pittie mom), Anne E-S.(thumb-gazer), Dani B. (human swing), Julie A-G. (cast shadow), Chim (woman nursing at a land-reform meeting – 1936), Consuelo Kanaga (boy ponders – 1950), Toni Frissell (Lady Churchill kissing granddaughter – 1953), & Harold Feinstein (Siddhartha blooming – 1980) for making this collage full.
ReplyDeleteI put my head on my mom's shoulder last weekend on a visit back home, while she was putting out carrots for dinner. She ate one, and it sounded so loud and close, like I was inside her head listening. These are small but important things – Tuesday, 9 April 2013.
First off I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading this poem, in addition I like how you made the actual poem portray what you were conveying in your writing. For instance the first thing you describe with the speaker and their mother is a hanger hook, and you make the first third of the poem show just that. Additionally when you describe the inverse relationship between the speaker and their mother and how they may seem to be growing apart you separate the thoughts with spaces to actually show an inverse triangle. In the final third of the poem I like how you showed that the speaker may at one time have felt some feeling of despair to separate entirely from their mother altogether. Yet you gave a final parting notion that reassured not only the speaker but also the reader of their mothers healing qualities. It demonstrates the comforting notion that no matter how much the relationship between a mother and child may separate, they will always hold a true bond.
ReplyDeleteNot "growing apart," but on opposite inclines: the child grows up into self-sufficiency; the parent shrinks down into frailty and dependence.
DeleteBut yeah -- you're always your mother's child. :)
The imagery in the first few lines of this poem really made an impression on me. When you say “brittle pond ice” when referring to the crunch of carrots, I immediately think of the gunshot-like sound a frozen pond makes when it cracks under weight placed on top of it. That is a very effective and strong image. The power conveyed through that image seems to connect with the ever-present strength and protective nature that many associate with their mothers. Like you say at the end of this poem, that protection will exist, as they will always be our moms. In the middle of the poem, I love how the structure of the poem splits in two, but then comes back together at the end. This, to me, expresses that although there can be differences in ideas between you and your mom, she will always be there to support you in the end. Overall, I found this to be a very touching poem!
ReplyDeleteI was considering deleting the first half of the poem (starting it "You fall asleep..."). Now you're making me reconsider: maybe it's important as introduction?
DeleteWhat do you think?
I think the beginning is imperative to understanding your relationship with your mom. I found it to be very interesting, because it even connects with the last part of the poem, in which you describe yourself as "ball bearing-eyed" and "oil-faced". I interpreted those descriptions to be you as a child and a teenager. That then connects with the beginning, in which you are older and yet still appreciating your relationship with your mother. This, in my eyes, further reinforces your point that you will always be your mother's child. Although I think that the poem would still be very powerful if you started with “You fall asleep…”, it would, in my opinion, lose some of the emotion and explanation that is presented in the beginning. Additionally, the imagery in the beginning is what initially grabbed my attention, and I don’t think I would have been as drawn to this poem if it had not been there to do so. As a side note, I read this poem to my mom, and she was very moved by it!
DeleteAlright, then. I'm sold.
DeleteThank you -- it stays as is.
The structure of this poem intrigues me because it is shaped like a hanger. The idea of a hanger makes me think of how children are dependent on their mothers even after they leave the womb, or even the house. A mother’s care never ceases to end. The more I looked at the structure, I also began to see a duck. Not sure if this was your intention, but this made me think of the children’s story “The Ugly Duckling”. When the baby swan finds himself a pariah among the ducklings, the mother duck chooses to love the swan as if it were her own, despite physical differences. This just emphasizes your words of a mother’s infinite amount of love and care. When you say that the mother says “I was art” it creates a powerful line. The word choice is interesting because art is something unique, art is something that can be perceived in a myriad of different ways, and the mother is saying that no matter what, she will always love he or she. I also read your comment where you said went back to visit your mom and had this encounter which brought you back to your youth. You mentioned that the day was April 9 and I felt a connection to that date because it is my birthday, and nothing reminds me more of all the components of my childhood, miniscule or monumental, that started from the very day I was born. Being able to revisit my childhood allows me to fully appreciate the life I am so fortunate to live.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Alyssa Zucker
Definitely meant for it to look like a hanger. Didn't mean for it to look like a duck -- but if you like seeing that, please do continue ... no one owns the shape of the clouds but those who bother to look up at them.
DeleteI really enjoyed this poem because your relationship with your mom can relate to my mom and me. I love my mom and her little nuances. Now that I am getting older and the reality of leaving home for college is starting to set in, I have noticed that my mom is giving me more independence. But even though she is giving me more freedom, she is still worried for my well-being, and whenever she gets the chance she pats my back. From these little actions, I know that no matter how old I get, I am still going to be her little girl. I have said that when I go off to college, being on my own is not going to be that hard, but honestly I am really going to miss my mom because she is my main supporter. I like the introduction to this poem because it is childish. The act of putting your head on your mother’s shoulder is something a child does to express their appreciation, at least that is why I do it.
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteMany things about this poem caught my eye. The collage with it is so beautiful and the shape of the poem, like a hanger that extends very long. You become hooked to your mother at a very young age (the hanger portion) and as you go through life your mother is there with you, no matter how far you go away from home she is always going to be there for you (the extension of the hanger). This poem hits close to home right now. With me going away to college soon I know that leaving my parents behind, especially my mother, is going to be so difficult for me. From college to home is going to seem like a very long distance, but I know that she is always going to pick up the phone when I call or answer my message when I text. Now looking back at the poem I notice a heart right after the curve of the hanger hook. Honestly, I am getting sad just thinking about the future and becoming so grateful for the past. I have yelled at her, gotten mad at her, yet she still loves me the same as when she first held me in the hospital room. Leaving my mom is going to be hard, she has been through it all with me and now I have to do it without her right by my side.
ReplyDelete