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The fact that your mother loves it
automatically makes you hate it:

I really like how she relates right to the title in the first two lines. She also makes a big statement which sort of maps out the poem. Samantha, age 18

her obsession for ironing underwear
and hankies and bed sheeets. She cared
whether or not you had a crisp crease

"crisp crease" is good alliteration. Samantha
In the 5 lines above, the poet mentions that the mother has an obsession for ironing. But, then she moves on and shows us that obsession very nicely. Samantha

in your white panties. No matter
that it was invisible to everyone else.

I like the idea that what was important to her was invisible to everyone else, but as said below, what is important to the speaker is invisible to her mother. Kara, age 21

Scrubbing the attic floor once a week
and the dishes five times a day
left time for nothing else, which suited
her just fine. And the fact that you
spent infinite hours composing term papers
and got a master's degree from some
uppity New England college that no one
in Ohio has heard of means nothing

These lines above show really good contrast between the two people in the poem. The mother spends many hours cleaning while the child is working hard in college. Only the clean house is noticed by the mother. This is also good irony. Samantha
Including information about herself adds humor! Amy, age 16

to her. Who cares if you can read well
or write better? The window sills in your
house are still cluttered with dying
plants, dust, chipped porcelain.
No husband. She reminds you with every
refusal to come and check for herself.

There is so much life in this poem. It illustrates the active role of a mother entirely and can relate to its readers very well. Leah
Linda Nemec Foster
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Submitted on January 3rd, 2009
Through the 3rd Eye is supported by the Grand Rapids Humanities Council
and is made possible in part by a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council - Copyright 2008