Poppies

• “all my words flattened, rolled, turned into felt”

  enjambment through the stanza breaks the structure of the poem to reflect the mother's spiralling emotions
• “the world overflowing like a treasure chest”

  -similie

  -comparison to treasure connotes his naive perception of newfound freedom and his childlike excitement

  -"overflowing" signifies her inability to control her emotions anymore as he leaves
• “i traced the inscriptions on the war memorial”

  shows the large amount of lives lost to war

  creates a collective understanding for losing someone special to war
• “i listened, hoping to hear your playground voice catching on the wind”

  -nostalgic tone emphasises the impact of war on family

  -links to the longing for childhood innocence and happiness in contrast to the outcomes of war
• compare to

  exposure

  war photographer

  remains
• free verse reflects her fragmented emotions