"I walk behind Mother
through the woods
careful
not to touch the poison oak
she points to with her stick.
She sees snakes before
they move.
She finds her way
by the smell of the trees.
She stops to rest
the very moment
my shoes grow
heavy
and gives me water,
gives me shade
in her steady
shadow."
-Janet S. Wong, from The Rainbow Hand: Poems about Mothers and Children
When I came across this poem, my first thought was how smooth it is. When I read it, I felt like the poem should be read with a soothing, steady voice. It is a very relaxing poem and I feel that that is because the subject of the poem is of a mother's love for her child. This poem stems from the child's realization that her mother is quite amazing. What a way to honor one's mother by illuminating her strengths in poetry. The main aspect of this poem is its rhythm. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like I should be reading this poem in a soothing, steady voice. This tells me that the rhythm of the poem is slow and steady. One can see this by looking at how the words are written. The sentences are split up, having one word on one line, instead of continuing the poem and putting all the words on the same line. By conveying this steady beat, I relate the beat to that of the child's heartbeat when with her mother. Because her mother watches for her safety and has keen insights about nature, the child surely feels safe and secure when with her mother. I really like this poem because I have always felt safe when with my mom. She has qualities that I am amazed by as well, just like the child in this poem.