I found this poem to be very moving and well written. I especially like the parallels between her son and Harry Houdini. By the second line i was intrigued. As I continued on the parallel became stronger and stronger, which I really enjoyed. I love the line, zip him up and toss him up and catch his weight. I got a perfect image from this. By reading that line it was very clear just how sad this mother is that her little boy is growing up. She had a lot of wonderful description throughout this piece, and certainly has a good grasp of language. The line, This is not what I had in mind when he pressed up through me like a sealed trunk through the ice of the Hudson. What a great way to describe pregnancy and child birth. Such great images and such powerful language. I also love how she follows it with another reference to Houdini by saying he, snapped the padlock, unsnaked the chains, and appeared in my arms. What perfect description, and she got across so much emotion with so few words. I also thought the end was very fitting, and also added in a bit of humor. Particularly the line, then smiled and let himself be manacled.
Robert C. Carothers III
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Robert, I really agree with some of the great points you made about this poem. I definately think that this is a very moving poem as well! The content of it is so pure yet powerful and it is supported by so many great descriptions and images. Just the content of the poem alone, the relationship between mother and son, is a very refreshing focus. I like how the mother reveals her fears throughout the poem, expressing that she is afraid of her son becoming and being a man. Perhaps this may have some reference to bad experiences that the speaker may have had with men? I also really like how the title explains so much of what the poem is trying to relay for the reader. It's almost as if a reader could reader the title of the poem and predict what the poem was going to be about. The beautiful language that the author uses also makes this poem unique. It really captivates the mother's emotions, especially her fear. The only thing that brought me out of this poem a bit was the line breaks. They seemed a bit random. Other than that it was a great read!
ReplyDeleteKaty Haines