POPPIES potential comparisons: context :
JANE WEIR • War Photographer ·
Weir is a textile designer and poet
• Kamikaze ·
this poem looks at the pain and
suffering of those left behind
I Three days before Armistice Sunday (domestic suffering)
2 and poppies have already been placed Form :
3 on individual war graves. Before you left, Dramatic monologue
↑ I pinned one onto your lapel, crimping petals, ↳ the pain caused by the often
5 spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade ignored mother emphasised
↳ the physical abscence of the son is
6 of yellow bias binding around your blazer.
highlighted by this form
Structure :
Sellotape bandaged around my hand,
7
these all create a chaotic structure
8 I rounded up as many white cat hairs ↳ reflects the chaotic impact of conflict
a as I could, smoothed down your shirt’s 1. Free verse
10 upturned collar, steeled the softening
2 . Stanza length
II of my face. I wanted to graze my nose
.
3 Enjambment (lines 16-18)
↳ enjambment across lines and stanzas
12 across the tip of your nose, play at
here
13 being Eskimos like we did when )
↳
break in structure
the reflects
14 you were little. I resisted the impulse how the mother is breaking
15 to run my fingers through the gelled emotionally
4
. caesura
16 blackthorns of your hair. All my words
17
flattened, rolled, turned into felt,
Language :
1. line 5-6 l'spasms' & 'blockade'
18 slowly melting. I was brave, as I walked ↳ 'spasms' relates to injury making :
,
19 with you, to the front door, threw us think of pain and suffering
20 it open, the world overflowing ↳ 'blockade' war-related word :
↳ domestic
21 like a treasure chest. A split second images are linked to
war
22 and you were away, intoxicated.
↳ the mother is seeing ideas of
23 After you’d gone I went into your bedroom,
Conflict and suffering in everyday
24 released a song bird from its cage. life which is overwhelming her
25 Later a single dove flew from the pear tree, lime 7 ('bandaged'
↳ relates to suffering and wounds
26 and this is where it led me,
line 11 ('graze'
27
skirting the church yard walls, my stomach busy ↳ / injury
pain
28 making tucks, darts, pleats, hat-less, without
lime 29 ('reinforcements')
29 a winter coat or reinforcements of scarf, gloves. ↳ extra protection
line 25 (a single dove'
30 On reaching the top of the hill I traced ↳ a symbol of peace but also
31 the inscriptions on the war memorial,
mourning
↑ the idea of her son in conflict is
32
leaned against it like a wishbone. in everything she sees
33
The dove pulled freely against the sky, 2 'I was brave .
34 an ornamental stitch, I listened, hoping to hear ↳ Challenges the reader's
35 your playground voice catching on the wind preconceived ideas about conflict
Lwe would expect the soldier to
. line 20-21
3 say this
↳ simile used here
, an almost childish image is created ↳ war has a vast impact on
↳ the son has unrealistic expectations of war civilians
JANE WEIR • War Photographer ·
Weir is a textile designer and poet
• Kamikaze ·
this poem looks at the pain and
suffering of those left behind
I Three days before Armistice Sunday (domestic suffering)
2 and poppies have already been placed Form :
3 on individual war graves. Before you left, Dramatic monologue
↑ I pinned one onto your lapel, crimping petals, ↳ the pain caused by the often
5 spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockade ignored mother emphasised
↳ the physical abscence of the son is
6 of yellow bias binding around your blazer.
highlighted by this form
Structure :
Sellotape bandaged around my hand,
7
these all create a chaotic structure
8 I rounded up as many white cat hairs ↳ reflects the chaotic impact of conflict
a as I could, smoothed down your shirt’s 1. Free verse
10 upturned collar, steeled the softening
2 . Stanza length
II of my face. I wanted to graze my nose
.
3 Enjambment (lines 16-18)
↳ enjambment across lines and stanzas
12 across the tip of your nose, play at
here
13 being Eskimos like we did when )
↳
break in structure
the reflects
14 you were little. I resisted the impulse how the mother is breaking
15 to run my fingers through the gelled emotionally
4
. caesura
16 blackthorns of your hair. All my words
17
flattened, rolled, turned into felt,
Language :
1. line 5-6 l'spasms' & 'blockade'
18 slowly melting. I was brave, as I walked ↳ 'spasms' relates to injury making :
,
19 with you, to the front door, threw us think of pain and suffering
20 it open, the world overflowing ↳ 'blockade' war-related word :
↳ domestic
21 like a treasure chest. A split second images are linked to
war
22 and you were away, intoxicated.
↳ the mother is seeing ideas of
23 After you’d gone I went into your bedroom,
Conflict and suffering in everyday
24 released a song bird from its cage. life which is overwhelming her
25 Later a single dove flew from the pear tree, lime 7 ('bandaged'
↳ relates to suffering and wounds
26 and this is where it led me,
line 11 ('graze'
27
skirting the church yard walls, my stomach busy ↳ / injury
pain
28 making tucks, darts, pleats, hat-less, without
lime 29 ('reinforcements')
29 a winter coat or reinforcements of scarf, gloves. ↳ extra protection
line 25 (a single dove'
30 On reaching the top of the hill I traced ↳ a symbol of peace but also
31 the inscriptions on the war memorial,
mourning
↑ the idea of her son in conflict is
32
leaned against it like a wishbone. in everything she sees
33
The dove pulled freely against the sky, 2 'I was brave .
34 an ornamental stitch, I listened, hoping to hear ↳ Challenges the reader's
35 your playground voice catching on the wind preconceived ideas about conflict
Lwe would expect the soldier to
. line 20-21
3 say this
↳ simile used here
, an almost childish image is created ↳ war has a vast impact on
↳ the son has unrealistic expectations of war civilians
