A visual representation of "Mother and Child" by Jennifer Wong
YAU Nga Yin
Maryknoll Convent School (Secondary Section)
The poem I chose depicts a child’s gratitude and respect for her mother’s love and the strong bonding between them.
In my artwork, the daughter is being pushed on the swing by her mother. When the daughter flies high in the sky, she is still connected to her mother by the yellow leaves which symbolise the strong bonding between them and the warm memories shared between them. Other symbols, including the bucket of eggs and the lamp, illustrate the passing of skills from the mother to her daughter as stated in the poem. It represents the daughter’s appreciation for her mother’s wisdom. Even though the daughter is fascinated by the unknown world, she hasn’t forgotten her mother who brought her the experience of the world.
The scars on the girl’s right arm came from her mother’s caning. Although it hurt, it has led to the awakening of her bravery as reflected in her eyebrows as well as the dirt on her face. It signifies the effort her mother has put into raising her.
The green leaves clinging on the swing and the blooming sunflowers symbolise the high hope for the girl’s future and her mother’s love. The light shone on the girl reveals her persistence and confidence since she knows her mother is always behind her.
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.