Her son was first made known to her

as a sense of unease, a need to cry

for little reasons and a metallic tide

rising in her mouth each morning.

Such signs made her know

That she was not alone in her body.

She carried him full term

tight up under her heart.

She carried him like the poor

carry hope, hope you get a break

or a visa, hope one child go through

and remember you. He had no father.

The man she made him with had more

like him, he was fair-minded

he treated all his children

with equal and unbiased indifference.

She raise him twice, once as mother

Then as father, set no ceiling

On what he could be doctor,

earth healer, pilot take wings.

But now he tells her he is working

for you, that you value him so much

you give him one whole submachine

gun for him alone.

He says you are like a father to him

she is wondering what kind of father

would give a son hot and exploding

death, when he asks him for bread.

She went downtown and bought three

and one-third yards of black cloth

and a deep crowned and veiled hat

for the day he draw his bloody salary.

She has no power over you and this

at the level of earth, what she has

are prayers and a mother’s tears

and at knee city she uses them.

She says psalms for him

she reads psalms for you

she weeps for his soul

her eyewater covers you.

She is throwing a partner

with Judas Iscariot’s mother

the thief on the left-hand side

of the cross, his mother

is the banker, her draw though

is first and last for she still

throwing two hands as mother and

father.

She is prepared, she is done.

Absalom.

Summary

The persona addresses a man who has taken a woman’s son into a life of crime. He introduces the boy to guns. The woman recounts the relationship with her son, and she speaks to the love that she feels for him even before he was born. The morning sickness was the first sign that she was pregnant, which suggests that her pregnancy was not planned. The mother plays the dual role of both parents, and she sees her son’s potential as endless; he could become anything.

But she recognizes that her only son has been employed by a man who ‘values’ him so much that he gives him his own submachine gun. Her son is now a part of a life of crime and this life she knows will be the cause of his death. So, she prepares for the funeral of her son, which she believes will happen sooner rather than later because of his lifestyle. She compares the betrayal and misfortune she feels to ‘throwing a partner’ (or sou sou). This she realizes is one that involves untrustworthy people. She knows she will have first and last hand.

Analysis

“Her son was first made known to her as a sense of unease, a need to cry for little reasons and a metallic tide rising in her mouth each morning.”

This thought is an exposition for the woman’s life. ‘Her son was first made known to her’ via the morning sickness and emotional sensitivity. Hence, her pregnancy was unplanned and a surprise.

“Such signs made her know that she was not alone in her body.”

The speaker continues to give the impression of a naïve or perhaps irresponsible mother who relies on ‘signs’ to confirm her pregnancy rather than having planned for her pregnancy. “She was not alone in her body” implies that her body was taken over by some unknown “being” and now she can only accept this new presence.

“She carried him full term tight up under her heart.”

The mother keeps her unborn child and the line ‘tight up under her heart’ shows that she loves her unborn son deeply.

“She carried him like the poor carry hope, hope you get a break or a visa, hope one child go through and remember you.”

This simile compares how she carried the child to how those in poverty carry their hope. The reader sees that the mother probably sees her son as the way out of poverty. She sees the child as one that may hold a visa to work abroad. She hopes that with this possibility he will send remittances to her. This “hope” is repeated three times to show that where there is despair of poverty, then there is an excess of hope.

“He had no father. The man she made him with had more like him, he was fair-minded he treated all his children with equal and unbiased indifference.”

The father appears to be missing from the child’s life. He had no plans to care for the child. The line ‘the man she made him with,’ suggests that the inception of the child was one which was devoid of emotion or care. The speaker continues with sarcasm as she refers to the man as ‘fair-minded,’ because he does not discriminate in the way he disregards all his children. There is some humour in these lines except for the scathing indictment of the common problem with parental truancy. The “father” has several children, but he does not support any of them emotionally or financially.

“She raise him twice, once as mother then as father,”

This line continues to show the impact of the absence of the father. One sees that the mother assumes both roles and makes the effort to support her son. But she also expects so much from this son.

“set no ceiling on what he could be doctor, earth healer, pilot take wings.”

This line shows that there are no limits to the mother’s high expectations for her son. She believes he could become anything in the world.

“But now he tells her he is working for you, that you value him so much you give him one whole submachine gun for him alone.”

This is the turning point of the poem. Before, the reader sees the high hopes that the mother has and this stems from the love and care for her son. But her hopes have changed as she realizes that he has been recruited by a gunman. The persona’s tone now changes to anger as she is resigned to sadness.

It is ironic in this line that the gunman values her son so much that he gives him his own submachine gun. The son feels a sense of pride because he is put in charge of this gun. This pride is false even though he believes that he now has authority because he is given the responsibility of a terrible weapon that can only cause destruction to himself and his community.

“He says you are like a father to him she is wondering what kind of father would give a son hot and exploding death, when he asks him for bread.”

The son sees this person as a father because he had no father figure while growing up. The mother questions the fact that her son looks up to a man who could only cause his death and destruction. She alludes to Matthew 7:9, which states, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (a similar verse is at Luke 11:11). The son’s neediness led him to seek material goods, so why would this “father figure” give him a weapon that would lead to his demise?

“She went downtown and bought three and one-third yards of black cloth and a deep crowned and veiled hat for the day he draws his bloody salary.”

The mother is completely convinced that this induction into gun violence will inevitably get him killed. She prepares for his funeral by buying a black hat and material for a dress. She sees that eventually he will draw his ‘bloody salary,’ and that he will reap the rewards of violence or death.

“She has no power over you and this at the level of earth, what she has are prayers and a mother’s tears and at knee city she uses them.”

The mother knows that she will not be able to physically fight the man who gives her son a gun. But she is religious so she believes that she can plead for the power of God. Her faith and her Christian beliefs are her only means of fighting him. She cries and this shows her grief and sadness for her son. It is also a clear symbol of condemnation for the man who has given her reason to cry, at “knee city.” The term “knee city” refers to long sessions of prayer on one’s knees. So, the mother prays for her son and implores the innate power of her motherly tears.

“She says psalms for him, she reads psalms for you, she weeps for his soul, her eye water covers you.”

The mother continues to pray against the man who has given her son a gun. She says psalms with the hope that these prayers will protect him. She also reads psalms for the man with the hope that bad things will befall her “enemy”. She continues to cry for her son hoping that God will protect him.

“She is throwing a partner with Judas Iscariot’s mother the thief on the left-hand side of the cross, his mother is the banker, her draw though is first and last for she still throwing two hands as mother and father.”

This stanza contains biblical allusions. The speaker enters into a savings agreement (a partner in Jamaica, a meeting in Barbados or a sou sou in other Caribbean islands) with Judas Iscariot’s mother (the mother of the one who betrayed Jesus) and the thief who was crucified with Jesus. The speaker alludes to the thief’s mother being the banker, who keeps the money. This means that her money can be stolen if the thief realizes that his mother has it. The woman joins this agreement with these mothers even though she knows that these are mothers of shameful biblical men. This is not good as this partner agreement means that she must find trust and honour among these members. The persona notes that the mother has two ‘draws’ or payments from the ‘partner’ plan because she has borne the responsibility of being both mother and father to the boy. She has the first and last payments. The last payment is risky because dishonesty begins to influence the participants when they must wait for a long time for their payment. She had the first draw and brought him into the world, and she will be there when his life comes to an end, taking the last draw.

“She is prepared, she is done. Absalom.”

The mother has prepared herself for the death of her son because he is engaged in criminal activities. She buys the material for her dress that she plans to wear to his funeral, and she has prayed. There is nothing more that she can do. ‘Absalom’ is her ‘Amen’ and she closes the poem with this finality. This is also biblical allusion to David’s son Absalom, who was killed after plotting to kill his father. David, however, still feels grief at the death of this son who plotted to kill him. In accepting to be employed by the gunman, the son has plotted against his mother’s investment in him and her limitless expectations for him. He has killed her hopes. The mother, like King David, will experience profound grief over the death of her wayward son.

Figurative Devices

Simile

“She carried him like the poor carry hope”

This simile is used to compare the way she carries the child to the way the poor carry their hope. One could say that the mother saw the son as the way out of poverty if he is successful in life.

“He says you are like a father to him”

The son compares the gunman to a father, showing that he fills the gap left by his own absent father.

Biblical Allusion

“what kind of father would give a son hot and exploding death, when he asks him for bread.”

The mother questions the respect that her son has for the man who gives him the gun. In Matthew 7:9 and Luke 11:11 where the son asks for bread but is given a stone instead. In the poem, the son faces poverty, and this has led him to search for a “better” life. But in this better life, the man offers him certain death when he gives him a gun. The woman accuses the man of being wicked and having no regard for her son’s wellbeing.

Line 49: Absalom is the son of David. Absalom betrayed his father, which suggests that the mother faces this betrayal from her son in whom she has placed her hopes.

Sarcasm

The persona appears to praise the child’s father by referring to him as ‘fair-minded’. But she is reprimanding him for not only ignoring his son, but all his other children.

Situational Irony

The situational irony comes through the son telling his mother innocently that his employer values him to the point that he gives him a gun for himself. The irony is that love is positive, while the gun is negative.

Mood/ Atmosphere

Reflective as the speaker thinks about the response to the events of her son’s life.

Tone

Pragmatic and pessimistic as the speaker tells the tale without any positive energy.

Themes

Death,

Love/love and family relationship,

Survival,

Dreams and aspirations,

Childhood experiences,

Religion