I wasn’t there for the last two poems so I don’t know what was discussed about “My Lover Is a Woman,” but I felt like it was very powerful in its topic and format and want to talk about my thoughts on it. Sorry if I repeat from class…
First, the entire poem is written in lowercase, except the title and the words “Black” and “Lord”. I think this indicates that the Narrator of the poem is kind of reflecting on their feelings and experiences. It makes the poem feel very personal. This makes the poem stronger because you're looking through the Narrator’s eyes and can really see their hardship.
Another thing is how Parker writes her lines; the indents kind of representing different voices or a conversation. The lines are generally short too, which makes it seem like the Narrator is speaking to themselves. The style really resonated with me because, as I’ve said before, I write my poetry in a similar way. I like short lines. It makes me get to the point without being wordy, which forces me to play with words. So that is one reason why I like this poem.
The structure of the poem is very interesting as well. Each part is like a chapter in a way, talking about the common subject of the lover, but also different experiences and thoughts related to the lover. In the first part, the Narrator simply being lesbian and then the lack of approval (?) from the family. The second part, we learn that this lover is white and then get images of the brutal crimes committed by white people. The third part continues to address that the lover is white and racism directed toward the Narrator. Parts two and three are similar because the Narrator is saying they never see their lover as one with the rest of racist white people. Part four going back more to the being a lesbian with a bit of race mentioned. This structure is cool because you see the difficulties that the Narrator has gone through and it becomes a story in a sense.
For the actual line structure, it is very cool how Parker writes the first stanza of each part about the feelings and love towards the lover. When we begin reading, we feel happy that the Narrator is happy and safe with their lover. But when we read the second stanza we are thrown into the conflict that could make the Narrator not lover their lover, saying, “I never think of” at the beginning of each one. It’s a great contrast to show the lines of love and hate.
The final thing that I want to talk about (because I could go on for a while) is the reference to family in each part. In each part, there is repetition of “never feel my father / turn in his grave / never hear my mother cry / Lord, what kind of child is this?” The phrases “turn in his grave” and “mother cry” are effective in showing the Narrator’s parents’ disapproval of the relationship with a white lesbian. This is something that the Narrator seems to feel heavily, the disapproval of the family, because it ends each part and is a more intimate relationship that is being lost, in comparison to the racism experienced by white people.
First, the entire poem is written in lowercase, except the title and the words “Black” and “Lord”. I think this indicates that the Narrator of the poem is kind of reflecting on their feelings and experiences. It makes the poem feel very personal. This makes the poem stronger because you're looking through the Narrator’s eyes and can really see their hardship.
Another thing is how Parker writes her lines; the indents kind of representing different voices or a conversation. The lines are generally short too, which makes it seem like the Narrator is speaking to themselves. The style really resonated with me because, as I’ve said before, I write my poetry in a similar way. I like short lines. It makes me get to the point without being wordy, which forces me to play with words. So that is one reason why I like this poem.
The structure of the poem is very interesting as well. Each part is like a chapter in a way, talking about the common subject of the lover, but also different experiences and thoughts related to the lover. In the first part, the Narrator simply being lesbian and then the lack of approval (?) from the family. The second part, we learn that this lover is white and then get images of the brutal crimes committed by white people. The third part continues to address that the lover is white and racism directed toward the Narrator. Parts two and three are similar because the Narrator is saying they never see their lover as one with the rest of racist white people. Part four going back more to the being a lesbian with a bit of race mentioned. This structure is cool because you see the difficulties that the Narrator has gone through and it becomes a story in a sense.
For the actual line structure, it is very cool how Parker writes the first stanza of each part about the feelings and love towards the lover. When we begin reading, we feel happy that the Narrator is happy and safe with their lover. But when we read the second stanza we are thrown into the conflict that could make the Narrator not lover their lover, saying, “I never think of” at the beginning of each one. It’s a great contrast to show the lines of love and hate.
The final thing that I want to talk about (because I could go on for a while) is the reference to family in each part. In each part, there is repetition of “never feel my father / turn in his grave / never hear my mother cry / Lord, what kind of child is this?” The phrases “turn in his grave” and “mother cry” are effective in showing the Narrator’s parents’ disapproval of the relationship with a white lesbian. This is something that the Narrator seems to feel heavily, the disapproval of the family, because it ends each part and is a more intimate relationship that is being lost, in comparison to the racism experienced by white people.
Great post! We didn't discuss a lot of this in class, so it was really interesting to read. I like how you highlighted the contrast between love and hate throughout the poem. The reader switches between sympathy and joy and is ultimately forced to reconcile the two. From this poem, you cannot deny that both exist in the world. Parker's words are sad but hopeful. Although it would be preferable if hate didn't complicate love, we are lucky that they coexist in our world.
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