The Way My Mother Speak

• “Only tonight

  I am happy and sad”

  -The typography emphasises the uniqueness of the moment

  -Simple, childlike words for a moment of nostalgia and optimism

  -Contradiction

  Nostalgia

  Change

  Symbolism
• “In love with the way my mother speaks”

  -Brings us back to the security of her Mother’s voice and the title of the poem.

  -“In love” makes us wait and offers the potential for an adult relationship

  Journeys

  Mothers

  Moving
• “I say her phrases to myself”

  -Present tense suggests a self-soothing, reassuring ritual

  -Pronouns emphasise the separateness but also the link

  -These words belong to her mother

  Reflection

  Symbolism

  Journeys
• “Browsing for the right sky”

  -Connotations of a grazing animal of a shopper

  -Not yet found the perfect place

  Nostalgia

  Change

  Symbolism
• “The train this slow evening”

  -A specific moment

  -The journey has a wider metaphorical significance

  -She feels like time is moving slowly

  Symbolism