catrin

• who is the author of the poem?

  Gillian Clarke
• why does Clarke write about the topic of motherhood a lot?

  she has three children: a girl and two boys.
• "our first fierce confrontation, the tight red rope of love"


  these 3 lines are quite juxtaposing, the concepts of conflict and love are at odds and the noun "rope" has restrcictive connotations. The phrase "red rope of love" is a metaphor for the umbilical cord, implying this is a maternal relationship. The alliteration of "first" and "fierce" reflects the heavy breathing of a woman whilst giving birth.
• "hot, white room" 


  the setting is introduced as "white, hot" which has connotations to a claustrophobic and uncomfortable atmosphere, perhaps to reflect the intense mood and and the tone of the poem and the parent-child relationship on display.
• "all over the walls with my words"


  this line mirrors how a child may write or draw on the walls when they're young, to the frustration of parents, now the child is the frustrated one, as she is angry that her mother is trying to restrict her freedom and tell her what to do.
• "as you ask may you skate. In the dark, for one more hour."


  the poet finally reveals the reason for the mother and daughter's fight right at the end of the poem, perhaps to distance the reader from understanding the poem and its meaning until the very end. This works to create an intimate connection between Catrin and the speaker.
• why was the poem written?

  in response to the question: why did my beautiful baby have to become a teenager?