Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

David Wagoner’s “Touch of the Mother” delves into the intricate interplay between domestic routines, maternal instincts, and existential unease, weaving a tapestry of surreal imagery and layered metaphors. The poem captures the restless vigilance of a mother as she navigates the symbolic and literal elements of her role, exploring themes of control, fragility, and the cyclical nature of life.

The poem begins with a portrayal of the mother standing watch in the hallway, a sentinel figure attuned to the quiet nuances of her household: “waiting for a sign / Of breath or smoke.” This opening sets a tone of alertness and foreboding, suggesting that her maternal role extends beyond the physical into the realm of the spiritual and symbolic. The lack of sound—“nothing squeaks the floor / Or whispers at the sink”—heightens her solitude and the weight of her responsibilities. The imagery of “threads... up the stairs like the eyes of needles” introduces the metaphor of sewing, a domestic act that becomes a symbol of her attempt to hold her family and world together.

The metaphor of stitching continues with “This is the time when all her basting ravels. / When hooks slip out of eyes, and seams come open.” Here, Wagoner captures the fragility of her efforts, as the secure domestic fabric she has woven begins to unravel in the stillness of night. The literal imagery of seams and hooks gives way to a deeper metaphorical resonance, reflecting the inevitable loosening of control and the uncertainty that accompanies maternal vigilance.

The transition to the surreal begins with the line: “She goes to bed like all good girls and boys / And sisters and husbands by the hands of clocks.” The anthropomorphized clocks evoke a mechanical and impersonal order, suggesting that her life is dictated by time and routine. Yet, this order is fragile: “Whether or not those hands will hold her off / Or turn her in or turn her luminous.” The ambiguity here captures the duality of time—it is both a force that structures life and one that leads to inevitable dissolution.

As the mother retreats into sleep, her dreams transform into a domestic act: “Now she must stir her life until it’s smooth, / Folding the beaten whiteness through and through.” This blending of culinary imagery with the process of dreaming highlights her deep entanglement with nurturing and creation, even in her subconscious. The “rich ingredients of the night” suggest the complexity and depth of her emotional and psychological landscape. However, this process is disrupted as “the layers of her dream / Sink in the middle, stiffen, and turn cold.” The failed metaphorical baking mirrors her fears and insecurities, symbolizing how even her most diligent efforts can falter under the weight of uncertainty.

The poem takes a darker turn as surreal elements intensify: “The delivery men / Come slouching and lounging into her preserves.” The domestic sanctuary she has carefully constructed is invaded, and the imagery of preserving—typically associated with safeguarding and sustaining—takes on an unsettling tone. The ritualistic cleansing and preservation process described—“soak them for hours in wormwood and witch hazel”—reads like a strange, almost alchemical remedy for the chaos introduced into her domain. The act of preservation becomes a metaphor for the desperate attempt to maintain control and order in a world that resists it.

Wagoner deepens the metaphorical scope with lines that measure the body: “Your hand is half as wide as it is long. / Around your wrist is half around your neck.” These measurements ground the poem in physical reality while hinting at the inevitability of decay and the cyclical nature of life. The imagery of animals reclaiming what was taken from them—“The cows come back for the leather in your shoes, / The sheep come back for the wool in the tossing blankets”—speaks to the interconnectedness of life and the inevitability of loss. This cyclical imagery reinforces the futility of attempting to preserve permanence in an impermanent world.

The final line, “And something blue goes in and out the window,” leaves the poem on an enigmatic and haunting note. The color blue, often associated with sorrow or transcendence, evokes a fleeting presence, perhaps the soul or the essence of life itself. This ephemeral image underscores the tension between the mother’s attempts to control her environment and the transient, uncontrollable forces that define existence.

In “Touch of the Mother,” Wagoner crafts a richly textured exploration of maternal anxiety and the fragile balance between order and chaos. Through its vivid imagery and layered metaphors, the poem captures the essence of a mother’s role as both creator and protector, highlighting the deep emotional and existential struggles that accompany these responsibilities. The interplay between the domestic and the surreal renders the poem both deeply personal and universally resonant, a testament to the complexities of care, memory, and life’s impermanence.

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