Poppies

"spasms of red disrupting a blockade of yellow bias binding around your blazer"

The Context This line is the first quotation examined from the poem 'Poppies' by Jane Weir. It describes the moment the speaker is imagining or remembering pinning a poppy to her son's blazer.

'Spasms of Red' - Symbolism and Pain The arrangement of the red paper (the poppy) is described as "spasms". This word belongs to the semantic field of pain. It suggests the mother's physical pain at saying goodbye to her son. It also hints at the possibility of his pain in death. The red colour itself is obviously symbolic of blood. The phrase implies that at the moment the poppy is pinned, the mother is imagining his eventual death. Alternatively, "spasms" could indicate her own intense emotions as her son leaves home.

'Blockade' - Dual Meaning The word "blockade" is used here. Jane Weir is a clothes maker, and she uses the vocabulary of stitching and embroidery. However, a "blockade" is also a maneuver in war where you block enemy supplies. Therefore, her language is suggestive of war.

'Yellow Bias Binding Around Your Blazer' - Clothing and Reality This describes the trim on the lapel of the blazer. Crucially, a "blazer" is not a soldier's uniform. It is typically a school uniform or a formal blazer. This detail suggests that the son is going to school or university. The source notes that Jane Weir has not actually had a son go off to war. This suggests she is imagining the war experience based on her own real experiences, such as a son leaving home for school or university.

Setting Up Dual Interpretation This first image in the poem immediately introduces the possibility of more than one interpretation. One reading is about a mother's grief at the loss of her son in war. The other is about a mother's grief at her son leaving home to live independently. The language used, combining the imagery of clothing and potential war, supports both possibilities.

"black thorns of your hair"

Symbolism: Nature and Purity On one level, the image is described as partly one of nature, which could suggest the son's purity.

Symbolism: Thorny and Discouraging The description also uses the word "thorny". This suggests the son's hairstyle is deliberately chosen to discourage his mother from touching it.

Metaphorical Meaning: Prickliness and Breaking Bonds This image is also presented as metaphorical. It suggests that the son is prickly towards her. He seems to want to break away from the bonds of motherhood.

Possible Interpretation: Oppressive Mother The source suggests that the son's desire to break away might imply that he feels his mother is an oppressive.

Contrast with Mother's Communication The image of the "black thorns of his hair" is contrasted with the mother's way of expressing herself. His thorny hair shows that he expresses his emotions exactly as they are, not repressing them, unlike his mother who represses hers.

“All my words… turned into felt… slowly melting”

This shows here physical pain, “melting”, could be here crying.

However, the semantic field of liquids, suggests that she contains her emotions, an opposite of her son who expresses them openly. (In his hairstyle).

Felt alludes to her feelings.

"the world overflowing like a treasure chest"

Primary Interpretation: Life's Opportunities The simile suggests that by letting her son go, the mother realises she is offering him a great treasure. This treasure is the life outside, which represents the opportunities and experiences available to him. The image implies she understands she is letting her son free to have these greater experiences, despite the pain his departure causes her.

Argument Against the War Interpretation, this simile breaks with the idea of this being a war poem. The source writer argues that it doesn't make sense for this to describe someone going off to war, even if they are excited about joining the army. A treasure chest implies something contained and collected, which doesn't fit the reality of a war experience.

Support for the 'Leaving Home' Interpretation The simile makes sense if the son is going off to find opportunities and experiences, which aligns with the interpretation of the poem being about a son leaving home for school or university. This is one of the poem's possible interpretations discussed at the beginning.

Mid-Poem Shift For the source writer, this image, along with others that follow, marks a point in the middle of the poem where it ceases to be a poem about war and becomes more focused on the themes of motherhood and letting go.

"released a song bird from its cage"

First Interpretation: The Son's Freedom On one level, the son is seen as the "songbird". Before leaving, he is imagined as having been trapped in the cage of the family home. This could also imply he felt trapped by this protective love from his mother. Now that he is gone, he is free and will be able to find his own “song”.

Second Interpretation: The Mother's Freedom The source suggests that this image is liked because it also implies that once the son has left home, it has given the mother/poet a new identity. She is now the "songbird", able to live freely and write her own “bird” “song” in the form of the poem. This implies she might even be grateful for this experience because the strong emotion of her son leaving has given her the subject and the tone for her writing.

Shared Experience of Freedom this also highlights the dual nature of the poem, it is not really a war poem and shows the conflicting emotions

Link to Later Imagery The source notes that the later image of the dove also reminds us of the songbird. This connection reinforces the themes of freedom and finding one's voice for both the son and the poet.

"the dove pulled freely against the sky, an ornamental stitch, I listened, hoping to hear your playground voice catching on the wind"

The Dove - Symbolism and Multiple Meanings The mother sees a dove in the sky. If the poem is interpreted as a war poem, the dove is a traditional symbol of peace. It can also be seen as symbolic of her son's soul now being free. The dove also serves as a reminder of the songbird image used earlier in the poem.

Link to the Songbird - Shared Freedom Like the songbird, the dove image reinforces the idea of freedom. In one sense, the dove can represent the son enjoying the "treasure chest of opportunities" that life offered him, symbolised by the freedom of the sky. It can also represent the poet/mother finding her own voice and freedom.

The Dove as a Stitch - Connecting Mother and Son The mother imagines the dove as like a needle pulling a thread. This could be the link between their souls.

The Ornamental Stitch - The Poem Itself The resulting "ornament" or "stitch" is interpreted as the poem itself. The son, through his freedom (whether through leaving home or death), is the one "whose freedom has now created this poem".

Listening for the “Playground Voice”:

• If it was a war poem then this would be the young adult that she wants back

• So she is more likely to be sad at his leaving, and the memories they had

Possible Happy Ending The source also points to the Christian allusion of the dove returning to Noah with an olive branch. This biblical story symbolises the end of tragedy and the hope of land. Applying this here could suggest that the dove image is "suggesting that there isn't a tragedy in this poem" and that it "does end happily", with the mother hoping to hear the voice.

Possible Ironic Ending this could all be interpreted as tragic irony and her son could be dead and she is trying in vain to get him back.

Form and Structure

Lack of Set Form The poem deliberately doesn't have a set form. There is no set number of syllables per line, it is not rhyming, and while it has stanzas (three stanzas of eight, seven, and eight lines), this doesn't constitute a rigid form. The reason suggested for this lack of form is that it represents the poet and mother exploring her own feelings more authentically.

Direct Address and Monologue The poem uses direct address, meaning it is written directly to her son. This makes the poem feel like a monologue, resembling a natural half of a conversation to her son. This direct address could imply that she is getting him to look back on her and his emotions on the day he left. It is an expression of her love and doesn't necessarily need to be interpreted as a letter written to him after his death.

Structure as a Form of Discovery The structure of the poem is described as a form of discovery, from the pain of him leaving, to the benefit to them both, then back to the back of the mother’s loss.