[Critique Group 2] Leonards comments re: Alice piece

[tuchyner5 at aol.com]

I understand it and relate to it.   



To a Roomful of Young Mothers



 



(A poetic letter Never Mailed, Circa 1975)



 



by Alice Jane-Marie Massa



 Iknow when, in a room full of people,



Ifelt most alone—



Good intro line.



mostdifferent.



 No,not when I was the only blind person:



Icould and can easily deal with those common occurrences.



 



In abeige room, with wood-paneled walls,



you,the several young women, sitting on over-stuffed chairs and sofa, 



softlyand happily conversing about your children and babies,



mademe feel the most alone—



At this point I’m  thinking, “Maybe the writer has found outthat she cannot have children. 



I think most people often feel like theoutsider . 



Many of us feel it is a major part of what we are. 



It’s always comforting to know that we arenot alone.  



There are times when this feeling isintensified.  



I remember once being in a cab going to aconvention . I was sharing the cab with 2 or 3 other conventioners. This was inChicago andthey were well informed hockey  fans. Iknow nothing of the sport. All they could talk about was hockey.  I don’t think they even knew I was in the cabwith them.  Of course that is not tocompare with  not being able to be amother in a group of mothers.



themost different.



 



Echoesfrom the motherhood kept swirling around me,



butyou all went on and on—



yournever including me,



mynever finding an entry door to your hood.



I like  the word ‘hood’ here. 



I had to think about it.   



I have an image of a bunch of women withhoods  on their heads and all facing towardseach other in a circle, 



thus isolating everybody and everythingelse out of their circle. 



 



Inthe midst of cacophony,



Iknew that I fully accepted the news



of aSaint Louisspecialist’s telling me, 



atage21, 



thatI should never have children.



There it is; suspicion confirmed .   



I wonder where this episode took place,though I know it is not a singular one. Did it take place in a doctor’s waiting room?  



My thought is that you are describing oneparticular event, but one that was often duplicated. 



 



Compliant,I could live with never having babies;



I’d like some elucidation on‘compliant’.  



I don’t need it in the poem,I just havethe question.   



Are you talking about a general part ofyour nature, or just  your way of dealingwith this particular issue. 



Compliant because it is the only option. 



What I know about the author leads me tobelieve that she is not a compliant person. At all. She is an activist.  



However, maybe the activism  is partially a way of overcoming  a tendencytowards compliance. 



butcould I exist with never being a part



ofthe mother-klatch?



This is a loaded statement.  Why is being left out of that particular sorority more potent than not being in the mother sorority?



? My mind and suspicions  lead me to guess it is because family is soimportant in the writer’s life.  



Would I think of that if I did not knowthe writer?




 


 



Exercisingnonconformity, 



Inever wanted to pledge a sorority;



nevertheless,even after college, 



youformed other sororities



What is the ‘you’ here. The word is usedat the beginning of the piece. Is it a particular person, or is it apluralistic ‘you’.



towhich I could never belong. 



 



Iaccept that I am a peripheral person:



I’ve never heard that term bewfore.(periferal  person.” I love it. I’m goingto plagiarize  it.



I amchildless, but I am joyfully dogful



andblessedly bookful.



 Close one door and another one opens.  



The other doors may offer more fruits thanthe one’s we might have otherwise chosen to walk through.



Dearyoung ladies



whocould only talk on one topic,



thankyou for letting me find and adopt 



othercircles of cherubic complacency.



I had to work on understanding what youmeant by cherubic complacency. But I got it. 



It translates to childlike selfsatisfaction. 



Here, it also implies that these otherpursuits  are sublimations of the needfor children and motherhood. 



 



 
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