Rosella Weigand

Life is a repetitious cycle, spinning from one generation to the next. In A.R. Tivadar's "Mother-Daughter Duties," we explore the relationships, patterns, and financial challenges of not just a family but of the strong women who take charge of running it. Early on in Tivadar's poem, we're introduced to a speaker who heeds her mother's advice. She describes that her mother is encouraging and proud of her achievements in graduating from a university but, "She tells me none of that matters / So long as I have a job and a salary" (Lines 5-6) Right away, we can gather that while receiving a higher education is important to her mother, the ability to make a living and afford life's day-to-day essentials is just as significant if not moreso. Considering that so many graduates often find themselves buried neck-deep in student loans and debts straight out of college with degrees they're not always guaranteed to actually put to good use, her mother's philosophy is quite logical. Money is a motivator for her mother but for good reasons. As we discover more about them, our speaker shares, "I live in a world that gives me whatever I want / At shops are things my parents never dreamed of owning / As they never dreamed that a revolution would happen." (Lines 8-12) We learn that her mother simply wants her daughter to have more than she ever did. Growing up, we don't always understand why parents don't buy us everything our hearts desire. As a result, we take for granted the ways in which they are able to provide for us -- food, clothing, and shelter. But those who live before us always know just how expensive the world can be; everything has a price tag. Financial obligations remain a running and relatable theme throughout this poem. When our speaker introduces her older sister, she focuses on how she provided for their family until she moved out. "My sister’s salary covered my parents’ bills / Their groceries, their medicines, / She got married and got bills of her own / My salary took up the assisting mantel." (Lines 13-16) Now that she is old enough and in a position to make money on her own, naturally those financial burdens her sister once carried on behalf of their family, now fall on her shoulders. But she isn't complaining nor does she seem worried about taking on such a heavy load; it's just something she accepts as her responsibilities, her duties, until the day she decides to move out and live away from home. But this story doesn't end on just a second generation of daughters; in fact, it continues with a third. Tivadar's speaker shares, "My sister gave birth to a daughter / In August, after the Holy Virgin ascended / My mom and I visited daily until I got a job." (Lines 17-19) While work interrupts family visits with her niece, holding a job is a necessity in order to ensure she can properly take care of her parents and herself. And just as she has taken on the position of providing an income for their household, her mother is already making plans for the new, little addition to their family. "My mom says she will become a doctor, for sure, / A doctor who will look after her mommy in old age." (Lines 20-21) Already, she believes that her daughter will be the one who supports her beloved mother; it's a beautiful sentiment. The love between a mother and daughter is quite special; it holds a great value like no other. The connections among all of these women of all ages run deeper than just monetarily. It's more about being there for one another. Supporting one another. Taking care of one another. And in "Mother-Daughter Duties," we feel the powerful and empowering bond they all share. In time, daughters can grow into sisters and mothers; aunts and grandmothers; friends and confidants. The cycle keeps spinning, and nothing will ever break the chain. https://www.fruithanginglow.com/post/church-flowers-growing-up-mother-daughter-duties-by-a-r-tivadar

Forgiveness may not always come easy for everyone, but blood is thicker than water, and time likes to heal old wounds. In Tom Caton's "A Strand of Hair," he intricately weaves in details of a close relationship that has unraveled overtime and a plea to recapture this connection that has been broken but not forgotten. With the line, "The strings that linked us have become threadbare / but loose ends are crying to be tied there," we know that these two people share a deep connection, one that was once strong but has since weakened. We're never told who was the cause of their separation, yet we can infer that there is a longing to reconnect. Loose ends usually signify unfinished business; this time definitely feels more personal. Caton stretches the thread metaphor further by comparing their current status to that of a 'torn' garment. Obviously, it's damaged but not completely ruined, giving us hope it can be restored once again.  Caton's speaker goes on to reveal their relationship further by telling us "...though only akin to a strand of hair / it never really left me, it’s still there." Strands of hair are often collected as samples to determine a person's DNA, making this line a clever way to let us know that these two people are in fact blood-related without needing to express as much directly. However, we don't know if this is a mother trying to reconnect with her son or daughter. Or if it's one sibling addressing another about a 'falling out.' Either one of these scenarios is likely, but what's apparent is they've been absent from each other's lives for quite some time, and at least one of them is planning to rectify this mistake.   The description, "Stuck like a harpoon, a stubborn spear," creates vivid imagery, and such a comparison hints that the speaker feels strongly bound by their connection to their relative. No matter what's happened between them, they can't ignore that they're still family. They know this person belongs back in their life, and it's time to make amends. What's interesting is how we move from imagining their relationship as a tattered and torn garment to being 'adjoined like wires;" it feels like their relationship is strengthening already. The poem ends with a sense of hope -- "drawing our distant pathways near." This line shows us they believe that whatever came between them has become less important, and they'll grow closer again. They're ready to reunite; however, there's no guarantee the other will feel the same way. Even though the 'distance' seems to be closing in, it may still be a long journey ahead for both of them to truly find their way back together in order to patch things up once and for all. https://www.fruithanginglow.com/post/massachusetts-without-me-a-strand-of-hair-by-tom-caton

Criticisms and compliments are constantly given by the handful both online and off but are not always well-received. After all, it can be difficult to accept either one, if we don't completely believe in or like what's being said about us. In E.J.M.'s poem "Truths vs Lies," she examines the sincerity and intentions of others' kind words and delves into the psyche of measuring one's true self-worth. Early on, her narrator reflects on how it feels to be labeled as "pretty" and "smart," while believing in the latter over the former. She goes on to debate how both of these things can be considered "facts" that pertain to her if they don't feel equally plausible and begins to question the motives behind being described as such by others. As she points out, "pride fills your body / when you praise someone else / so is that why they are saying this? / to only help themself?" Are people really just telling us nice things to make themselves feel better? If this is the case, how can we ever truly know when they're actually being honest with us, if they deliver their lies in the same packages wrapped up in pretty bows as they do with the truth? Yet, when it comes to letting others see our truest selves, we're not always as forthcoming or honest about it either. The poem's speaker admits, "i have let people tell me who i am / all based on which me they were shown." We do possess an arsenal of different versions of ourselves. There's the version of us who gets to be real; this one is usually reserved for moments when we're alone or surrounded by our closest family and friends. But if we're sad or depressed and don't want others to see us this way, we wear a mask, an armor, usually to make things less uncomfortable for those around us and to protect ourselves from constant scrutiny. But by doing so, we begin to bend the truth more and more in our favor. As a result, their perceptions of us become misguided, and we in turn become the deceivers. Unfortunately, we give so much power to others' opinions of us, no matter which version they actually meet or how 'real' and 'genuine' we are. It's only natural to want to be valued by other people sometimes; the challenge is finding and maintaining a healthy balance between pleasing others and serving ourselves. E.J.M. shows us that we can look within for the answers we want. "i will nurture my soul / and then i will find people / who have a similar mind." Self-love and surrounding oneself with a great support system can lead to a more positive outlook on life and bring us joy. Filtering out all of those negative views that never benefit us might just be what we need to feel better about ourselves overtime. She ends her poem on an uplifting message, in hopes of inspiring others to not "let people’s opinions keep you tied / from being the best you." It shouldn't be up to others to decide whether or not we get to consider ourselves attractive or intelligent. Or talented. Or anything else for that matter. We are who we are. We don't need someone else's approval to simply be ourselves. https://www.fruithanginglow.com/post/truth-vs-lies-by-e-m-j?origin=notification

In "24 words Spoken On A Park Bench," Rebecca Agauas beautifully paints a lovely, seemingly familiar scene -- birds are flying, kids are playing in dirt, and dogs are chasing their tails around in a park. It all seems innocent enough. However, something more is happening before our eyes, something we're unable to fully comprehend. A brief, unknown exchange between two people unfolds with layers of mystery hiding within them and slight hints dropping along the way. "We only spoke to each other once. / It was simple and to the point, never over complicating the situation." From this, we can infer that these two individuals are strangers involved in something unusual, some sort of predicament, but we're never certain what it is exactly nor are we ever provided with the nature of their relationship. Agauas opens the poem with the line, "We sat on the park bench together, on opposites ends, in silence." Even if this could be first interpreted as a casual blind date outdoors or a possible 'meet-cute' story, the fact that they're sitting so far away, making sure to keep their distance, seems too suspicious to be leading up to the beginning/ending of a love story that 'might've been.' So one must have information the other wants, and they selected this park for their rendezvous for both of their safeties. Also, the fact that it opens 'in silence' and offers distractions tells us that these two are watching and listening to their surroundings closely first before trading any information. Identifying who they are and their shared connection becomes a guessing game. Maybe these two are in fact agents, private investigators (or spies?), working on a case together. Or one is a Police Officer, and the other is an informant risking everything by meeting up in a public area. Or it could be a matter of discussing a ransom. Maybe one of their loved ones is in grave danger, and this is why they're holding this meeting. We never get to know what's really going on between them, and that's part of what makes this poem so compelling -- the numerous possibilities and directions in which our imaginations are permitted to travel. But by watching, almost studying their surroundings, our narrator reveals one small personal detail about themselves. "Kites soared higher than I could ever get them to go." It could just be an activity they enjoyed as a child or one they've accompanied their son or daughter with playing, but it's the only glimpse we're given into their life, which makes it quite significant no matter how small it may seem. And when we think of 'soaring high,' we often think of aiming for a goal and doing all in our power and capability to achieve it. So this insight might also refer to this person's lack in abilities at reaching set goals and their determination to finally accomplish something of greater importance, possibly for the first time in their life. The poem closes on the count of words exchanged and their departure with, "After 24 words were spoken, we got up from the bench and parted ways, never to be seen or / heard from again." Considering they note the precise number of words uttered, it tells us the significance of this conversation. These two aren't planning to meet up again; they said all they needed and wanted to in this moment. This closing line seems to further suggest at the danger of their "situation" and that this meeting is a one-time deal for a reason. It almost seems haunting, as if it's foreshadowing the other person's life ending in tragedy. It feels so final. When it comes to speaking, so much can be said by saying so little, and Agauas achieves this concept quite well. Those 24 words almost become like a secret, one we're only allowed to eavesdrop on from a safe distance but never actually hear. We're only witnessing that these two are meeting together without being told every detail as to why. As a result, we can't help but let trying to figure it out and answering that main question, along with others, consume our minds long after reading. https://www.fruithanginglow.com/post/24-words-spoken-on-a-park-bench-by-rebecca-agauas