I learned from my mother how to love
the living, to have plenty of vases on hand
in case you have to rush to the hospital
with peonies cut from the lawn, black ants
still stuck to the buds. I learned to save jars
large enough to hold fruit salad for a whole
grieving household, to cube home-canned pears
and peaches, to slice through maroon grape skins
and flick out the sexual seeds with a knife point.
I learned to attend viewing even if I didn’t know
the deceased, to press the moist hands
of the living, to look in their eyes and offer
sympathy, as though I understood loss even then.
I learned that whatever we say means nothing,
what anyone will remember is that we came.
I learned to believe I had the power to ease
awful pains materially like an angel.
Like a doctor, I learned to create
from another’s suffering my own usefulness, and once
you know how to do this, you can never refuse.
To every house you enter, you must offer
healing: a chocolate cake you baked yourself,
the blessing of your voice, your chaste touch.
This poem sounds more sad than anything else. It sounds like the speaker learned more about death than life from her mother. The actions in this poem are very vivid, you can just imagine everything going on. I thought that the more you thought about this poem the sadder it got.
ReplyDeleteThe poet does not fully understand the situation because he compares it his "own usefullness." That makes it sound special. At the beginning, he mourns the loss of his mother and recaps the memory of what he has done. This is an overall confusing poem that must have some internal meeting that the poet wanted to express.
ReplyDeleteThe sad but meaningful language in the poem "What I have Learned from my mother" by Julia Kasdorf conveys the useful things a mother can teach their child. The poem mentions all the usefull things to do when someone dies and that it is important that you go becasue what "anyone will remember is that we came," illustrateign an importance of beeing seen and being there. You also must help them by "you must offer healing: a chocolate cake you baked yourself, the blessing of your voice." The bottom line just remember what your Mother taught you.
ReplyDeleteThe poem indicates what the girl learned from her mother which consisted of many acts of compassion and sypathey to help others without regard to helping youself which is supported by "chaste touch," coming to funeral, and "power to ease." She learned to become a slave to others from her mother because compferting others and being kind is one thing, but the poem only shows actions of service indicating all she learned was to care for other's needs neglecting her own. Many people need help, but there is too many for one person to help them all and by trying you end up neglecting yourself. Helping others is a good thing to do, but it seems this person was taught to try and help boundlessly
ReplyDelete"What I learned From my Mother" contains strong and compassionate diction that alludes to the caring soul of a mother. The speaker has learned how to passionately care about others and aid them in times of hardships from her mother's example. The speak can now "look into someone's eyes" and "offer sympathy." Mothers truly care about others and display true sympathy for others. Mothers have blessed hearts and care more about helping others then themselves. If everyone in the world had as much compassion as mothers the world would be a better place.
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