I leave this house

box pieces of the five-week life I’ve gathered.

I’ll send them on

to fill spaces in my future life.

One thing is left

a spray of orchids someone gave

from a bouquet one who

makes a ritual of flower-giving sent.

The orchids have no fragrance

but purple petals draw you

to look at the purple heart.

I watered them once

when the blossoms were full blown

like polished poems.

I was sure they’d wilt

and I would toss them out with the five-week litter.

They were stubborn.

I starved them.

They would not die.

This morning the bud at the stalk’s tip unfurled.

I think I’ll pluck the full-blown blooms

press them between pages of memory.

Perhaps in their thin dried transparency

I’ll discover their peculiar poetry.

Summary

            It appears that the speaker of the poem is moving from the house that she has been living in for five weeks. The only thing that she had left in the room was the orchid that she believed had no value. She had received the orchid from a friend who enjoys gifting others with flowers. The speaker does not see the value of the orchid and so she does not care for the orchid. She watered it only once when it was in bloom. Still, she is puzzled by the resilience that the orchid shows. She realizes that despite the lack of care, the orchid does not wilt and die. Her initial thoughts were that she would get rid of the orchids once she moved away from her current living space.

            The speaker believes that the presence of the orchid in her life is as temporary as the period that she occupied the house. She also believes that the orchid, like the house, would become a distant and insignificant memory once she moves on. But the orchid proves to be stubborn, and it does not die.  At the onset, the speaker is indifferent toward the orchid and its petals, but now she wants to preserve the blooms by placing them between the pages of a book. She hopes that one day she will understand the deeper meaning behind the orchids’ resilience.

            The structure of the poem is interesting as it is broken up into several stanzas with few lines. One would assume that this shows the speaker’s nomadic lifestyle as she is moving only 5 weeks after being in her current location.

Analysis

“I leave this house box pieces of the five-week life I’ve gathered.”

The persona has spent five weeks in the house and is now leaving. During her stay, she gathered different things that reflected her life which she places in boxes. The poet uses a metaphor in ‘box pieces of the five-week life I’ve gathered.’ The boxes are said to contain ‘pieces’ of the life she has gathered over five weeks. Thus, the contents of the boxes are directly compared to fragments of her life.

“I’ll send them on to fill spaces in my future life.”

The persona will now send these boxes to another home only to ‘fill spaces’ in another life a few weeks in length. The reader sees that the things she gathers only serve to take up space and have little or no sentimental value. One could say that she moves often and therefore the “moves” she makes become a transition into another life.

“One thing is left a spray of orchids someone gave from a bouquet one who makes a ritual of flower-giving sent.”

The “spray of orchids” is the final thing that she has not put in the boxes. She had gotten the plant from a friend who gifts flowers as a ritual. The speaker believes that the flowers are uninspiring or tasteless and in no way special. In fact, the readers can assume that the speaker believes that the gift was only given to her as a passing thought since the person gives flowers so compulsively.

“The orchids have no fragrance, but purple petals draw you to look at the purple heart.”

The orchids may not have much fragrance like other flowers, but they are intriguing because they require attention. ‘Purple petals’ is an example of alliteration and speaks to the bright and lively colour of the petals. In addition, the repetition of the plosive speech sound ‘p’ reflects the boldness of the nature of the petals and their ability to attract attention. The persona notes that the petals force one to ‘look at the purple heart.’ This suggests that the reader is drawn immediately to the recognizable structure at the centre of the bloom of an orchid or at the heart of the flower. Additionally, the purple heart is the medal of honour that is given to United States troops who show exceptional bravery in war. Therefore, the orchids are likened to acts or dimensions of bravery.

“I watered them once when the blossoms were full blown like polished poems. I was sure they’d wilt and I would toss them out with the five-week litter.”

The persona talks about her lack of interest in watering the orchids during the period of their full bloom. This would suggest that there is an indifference towards the orchids as the persona believes that the orchids are simply a passing gift, and which has little or no meaning to her. Therefore, she is comfortable with watering the plants only once. The pleasant appeal of the blooms and their perfection and beauty comes with the use of alliteration within a simile. The poet speaks to the moment ‘when the blossoms were full blown like polished poems.’ The persona thought that the orchids would wilt and die, and she would not have cared in the slightest. She had planned to throw these orchids away because she did not think she had any use for them after her five-week stay. One could say that she held no expectation for its survival, and she has no regrets about throwing them away when she moved.

“They were stubborn. I starved them. They would not die.”

The persona starves and neglects the orchids, but they show resilience as they continue to live. In fact, they take on a dimension of strength and bravery in their survival, as they seem to refuse to concede death so easily. The persona uses mostly monosyllabic language to give a sense of confusion and surprise at their resilience. This would suggest that she wanted the plant to die.

“This morning the bud at the stalk’s tip unfurled.”

Now, on her final morning (presumably) before leaving, the orchid has not only survived neglect, but has prospered. The sleeping bud has burst into bloom, unravelling the petals and purple heart within. This realization of its resilience and quaint beauty triggers a change in the persona’s view of the orchid, explored in the final lines.

“I think I’ll pluck the full-blown blooms press them between pages of memory.”

The persona decides to take these open blooms and preserve them between pages, and evidently in her memory as well. An alliteration is used here as well, ‘full blown blooms,’ communicating that these flowers truly have exploded and burst into the peak of their beauty and radiance. The persona will preserve these flowers, keep them close in memory, as she seems to have been impacted by the orchids. Unlike everything else, either in ‘box pieces’ or in the ‘five-week litter,’ she places the flowers between pages to keep them, as though a souvenir or keepsake.

“Perhaps in their thin dried transparency

I’ll discover their peculiar poetry.”

In preserving the flowers, she hopes to uncover a deeper meaning behind their resilience. The poet utilizes alliteration in the final line, ‘peculiar poetry,’ conveying that these blooms have a cryptic message that the persona intends to analyse and uncover.

Symbolism/ Symbol

The orchid is a flower of magnificence that brings a message of love, beauty, wisdom, thoughtfulness, luxury, strength, elegance, affection, new growth, and development.

Literary Devices

Simile- Lines 13-14

The persona compares the full-blown blossoms to a polished poem. Polished suggests that there is perfection, a shiny look and enjoyable to read.

Pun- Line 11

The purple heart is the splash of color in the center of the orchid’s bloom and alludes to the bravery of the flower. The purple heart is synonymous with the medal of bravery in the US army.

Metaphor- Lines 1-2

The speaker compares her experience over a five-week period to boxes that she used to pack her belongings.

Mood/ Atmosphere

Pensive, or thoughtful

Tone

Bored musing, Reflective

Themes

Death

Nature

Survival

Contemplation and Memory