Monday, September 30, 2013

Mother's Portrait






In the room of no music
and unlit fires

she hangs between us.

Her fingers continue to pound
the keys in my head

of all her expectations on me,
her hopes in you.




© 2013 Jennifer Wagner




I’m a bit late, but this is for Margaret’s Artistic Interpretations at Imaginary Garden with Real Toads where she has invited us to concentrate on setting and mood as we write to images she took of place miniatures at the Art Institute of Chicago.

15 comments:

Susie Clevenger said...

Great piece. I especially love the ending.

Preeti S. said...

The power of nostalgia, eh? Brilliantly put, especially the ending.

Brian Miller said...

i feel the dichotomy between the two children...i was an oldest so i felt the expectation...and i like how you used the playing of the piano in this as well..

Anonymous said...

Agh! I love the piano metaphor mixed in with the portrait and the mix of siblings (I suppose) though it could also be a mother-in- law of the speaker and the mother of the hoped-for one. This is a wondeful poem but you know expectations are not all bad compared to hopes-- they do imply a sort of confidence. Take care, k. This is Manicddaily.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

As an older child, this resonated with me :)

Lisa A. Williams said...

Beautiful poem filled with nostalgia. Superb close as well.

Scarlet said...

I love your interpretation (and can relate) ~ Specially like the ending lines ~

Ella said...

This is so clever and well done! I just love your approach :D

Anonymous said...

excellent response to the prompt, Jennifer, as well as standing alone

Wendy Bourke said...

I love the beginning of this piece: “In the room of no music and unlit fires”. A lot of poems build ambiance and tone, slowly. But here, the reader knows – right out of the gate – this in a room designed to stifle enjoyment. I think that by going to the oppressiveness of the place, immediately, the bleakness of the experience that the young writer felt there, is amplified.

Margaret said...

Oh... yes! I knew a poem for this room really needed to include that portrait... and what a poem! Nicely done, really!

Anonymous said...

Oh, wow. Emotional onslaught in a few words. This is how I feel about my mother, though she's been gone over three years. Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

Little poem. BIG message. Expectations, aspirations, favoritism. They are right there in between the lines.

Justin Lamb said...

Clever response to that picture. Pretty eery.

janetld said...

A very good poem! "She hangs between us" and "continue to pound..." - What strong lines.