Poppies

• 'I traced the inscriptions on the war memorial, leaned against like a wishbone'


  She wants her son back = 'Wishbones' are supposed to bring good luck which is ironic in this situation. It could suggest the mother and son are two halves of a wishbone; without each other they are incomplete, even though they are destined to be ripped apart.
• 'hoping to hear your playground voice catching on the wind'


  Mother wants her son back = metaphor for her son fleeting. She is longing to turn back time to be with her son
• 'Spasms of paper red, disrupting a blockage of yellow bias' 


  glamourised patriotism = 'spasm' injury and death which shows reality. juxtaposed 'yellow' which represents happiness but in this context its the governments idealised version of war.
• 'The dove pulled freely against the sky'


  Natural imagery to show inner conflict = Juxtaposed of 'pulled' and 'freely' because the bird is still trapped = reflects the mothers encased by troubles. Dove = Christian symbol off hope and freedom
• 'I was brave'


  Explore struggle = The mother struggles to say goodbye and it indicates she is forced to appear brave when letting him go. War forces everyone to be brave. It helps us imagine all families waving off loved ones who may never return
• Form = dramatic monologue, emphasised the pain caused by the often ignored mother showing the soldier is not there and perhaps dead.
• Structure = free verse, enjambment, caesura, different stanza lengths which gives a chaotic structure which could highlight the chaos the at home face.