Parent's Pantoum

    for Maxine Kumin

    Where did these enormous children come from，

    More ladylike than we have ever been？

    Some of ours look older than we feel.

    How did they appear in their long dresses

    More ladylike than we have ever been？

    But they moan about their aging more than we do，

    In their fragile heels and long black dresses.

    They say they admire our youthful spontaneity.

    They moan about their aging more than we do，

    A somber¹ group——why don't they brighten up？

    Though they say they admire our youthful spontaneity

    They beg us to be dignified² like them

    As they ignore our pleas to brighten up.

    Someday perhaps we'll capture their attention

    Then we won't try to be dignified like them

    Nor they to be so gently patronizing.

    Someday perhaps we'll capture their attention.

    Don't they know that we're supposed to be the stars？

    Instead they are so gently patronizing.

    It makes us feel like children——second-childish？

    Perhaps we're too accustomed to be stars.

    The famous flowers glowing in the garden，

    So now we pout³ like children. Second-childish？

    Quaint⁴ fragments of forgotten history？

    Our daughters stroll together in the garden，

    Chatting of news we've chosen to ignore，

    Pausing to toss us morsels⁵ of their history，

    Not questions to which only we know answers.

    Eyes closed to news we've chosen to ignore，

    We'd rather excavate⁶ old memories，

    Disdaining⁷ age， ignoring pain， avoiding mirrors.

    Why do they never listen to our stories？

    Because they hate to excavate old memories

    They don't believe our stories have an end.

    They don't ask questions because they dread⁸ the answers.

    They don't see that we've become their mirrors，

    We offspring of our enormous children.