Friday, June 12, 2009

Lesson by Ellen Bryant Voigt

Lesson

Whenever my mother, who taught
small children forty years,
asked a question, she
already knew the answer.
"Would you like to" meant
you would. "Shall we" was
another, and "Don't you think."
As in "Don't you think
it's time you cut your hair."

So when, in the bare room,
in the strict bed, she said,
"You want to see?" her hands
were busy at her neckline,
untying the robe, not looking
down at it, stitches
bristling where the breast
had been, but straight at me.

I did what I always did:
not weep --she never wept--
and made my face a kindly
whitewashed wall, so she
could write, again, whatever
she wanted there.


Ellen Bryant Voigt was born and raised in VIrginia. Her poetry is influenced by her background in music. She has written several books of poetry and served as the Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. She currently lives in Vermont and teaches for the Warren Wilson low-residency MFA program.

59 Comments:

Anonymous Marinela said...

"I did what I always did:
not weep --she never wept--
and made my face a kindly
whitewashed wall, so she
could write, again, whatever
she wanted there: Great lines

4:45 AM  
Blogger disabled account said...

sad

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Blogger poefusion said...

Delicate, sad and beautifully written. Powerful last lines. I think its important for one to be able to move forward after such a traumatic event.

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Anonymous Frustrated Poet said...

Wow! That's a powerful comment on the mother-daughter relationship.

10:40 AM  
Anonymous Editor said...

Wonderful work!


-Raquel, Founder
Lyrical Passion Poetry E-Zine

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Blogger John R said...

A touching subject, a child marked by tragedy, showing her strenght and wilfulness to deal with the trauma before her. Unfortunately, pain is an attribute inherited by many in the craft...

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