The Woman in This Poem - Bronwen Wallace

     I would have attached the poem to this entry but seeing how it takes up 2 1/2 pages, it would have made this entry really long. But here is a link that brings you right to the poem--> 

http://www.oocities.org/sorrenti888/thewomaninthispoem.htm

     This poem is about a woman who lives in the suburbs with her family. She constantly thinks about her duties as a mother and as a wife. She feels like she has to fake her way through supper while her thoughts are elsewhere. The woman wants to run away with her "lover". "Come to me he pleads/I need you and he woman/reaches for the phone/to dial the airport/she will leave this afternoon/her suitcase packed/with a few light clothes/But as she is dialing/the woman in this poem/remembers the pot-roast". The woman wants to meet up with her lover but when she attempts to go through with it, she remembers her family. She remembers the pot-roast that is for supper and she thinks of her husband's face, and she thinks about her children's piano lessons and dentist appointments. Whenever she goes for the phone, she stops. "She stops dialing and begins/to chop onions for the pot-roast".  The woman sits at the table and "all through dinner/her mouth will laugh and chatter/while she walks with her lover/on a beach somewhere". The woman puts on a mask, she wants to make everyone believe she is happy when she really isn't. She is just like Eleanor Rigby! They both put forth a false personality. As the woman "stands there/in the middle of her spotless kitchen", she is growing old. The "spotless kitchen" symbolizes emptiness. Her kitchen is perfectly clean, there is nothing to do in it. It symbolizes her perfect life on the outside, but it is not perfect on the inside. The woman wishes for something to happen, she wishes for excitement in her life. 

     This poem was published in 1987, when women were feeling trapped by the private sphere. The woman in this poem needs to realize that she is not alone. She is not the only one dealing with this. She needs to act on her feelings and do something about it. If she doesn't, she will turn out just like Su Lin from Falling in Place, she will commit suicide. I personally believe that the woman should run away with her lover and be happy because living the life she is in now is not good for her. She is not happy, it's clear that she wants to run away with him, and all she is doing is causing harm to herself. She needs to follow through with her feelings, otherwise all she is doing is digging herself an early grave. 

     I personally really enjoyed this poem!! I love the theme Carpe Diem. It is just like the poem "To the Virgins, To Make Much Of Time".We are not guaranteed tomorrow, so live life as if there was no tomorrow.