A visual representation of "Mother and Child" by Jennifer Wong
TANG Ho Yi Chloe
Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section)
The poem ‘Mother and Child’ describes the speaker’s love and admiration for her mother.
When a child reaches the age of an adult, he or she has to learn to be independent and explore the world on his or her own.
The time has come for the speaker, and so she recalls the memories of her mother.
They share comforting moments and also ones that are not so. No matter what, they all contribute to her growth into the person she is now.
In my work, I show visual images of the moments the speaker describes, her mother’s wisdom, strengths, skills, as well as her care and tough love.
The sunrise in the background denotes a new beginning.
In the centre, the girl stands on the swing and spreads her wings, preparing herself for the challenges ahead, carrying the knowledge and love she gained from her beloved mother.
Mother and Child
You showed me how to tell
a fresh egg by its shell,
holding it up against the lamp.
You’d look up at the sky, predict
from the stillness of the air
when the rain would arrive.
The language of your dishes:
ginger and tangerine peel julienned
to the finest; fish steamed to perfection.
On long summer nights
you’d lull me to sleep
in the breeze of your palm leaf fan.
Even caning, when it happened,
was a way of loving despite the hurt.
It has made me a braver girl.
And that first time I stood on the swing,
facing the wind, flying forward,
seeing the world with your help,
leaving but not leaving you.
Jennifer Wong
“Mother and Child” was published in Goldfish by Jennifer Wong, p.35. Copyrights © 2013 by Chameleon Press. Reprinted by permission of Chameleon Press.