Poppies - Jane Weir
Context
Mother of a son who has grown up and gone to war
Poppies as memorials - idea of memories
Associated with Remembrance Day
Red is a reminder of the blood shed during the war
A textile designer and poet
The blending of domestic + military language shows how this suffering of her son and the thought of her son in the conflict zone is constantly on the speakers mind and everything she sees and does
2nd Stanza:
"sellotape bandaged around my hand"
"bandaged" - injury, wound (wounded soldiers)
"graze my nose"
"graze" - suffering + conflict
"All my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt..... slowly melting"
enjambment - break in structure reflects how the mother is breaking emotionally
1st Stanza:
"poppies" - symbolic links to violence, death and memory
"you, I, your" - pronouns - intimacy and the close relationship between mother + son
"spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade"
"spasms" - injury, pain + suffering
"blockade" - war-related word
isolate or close off a place
prevent entrance or exit
3rd Stanza:
"released a songbird from its cage" - metaphor - like a beautiful caged creature that needs to be set free
"A single dove" - positive image, symbol of peace + mourning (conflicting emotions)
"intoxicated" - not making a measured and controlled decision - but he's gotten caught up in the excitement of everything
"The world overflowing like a treasure chest"
"I was brave" - war has a huge impact on those left at home
"reinforcements of scarf, gloves"
simile - shows the son's sense of excitement at leaving home
childish image suggests he doesn't have realistic expectations
"reinforcements" - military word
4th Stanza:
"I listened, hoping to hear" - Caesura - breaking down the verses, implies the choking back tears
Structure
Written as a dramatic monologue
The end of the poem reflects the start as the mother feels drawn to a war memorial bringing the story back to where it started, but the difference being that there is no son around - the poet juxtaposes the start and ending of the poem
The poet uses as enjambment between the second and third stanzas
The break in the structure of the poem reflects how the mother is breaking emotionally and enhances the idea of a natural tone in the mother’s voice.