when my sister left this earth
she didn't take her family
she left
a husband and son
at 19 I took over her family
I thought then
what I think now
This has to be done
This is what I must do
I do not wonder what it would have been like to finish school
or if I am happy
in my shop
when I am working on my clients
the cold water washes the beauty cream from their faces
what is left is what was always there
the face that God gave them
My sister's death
washed away my dreams of school
what was left was my life
what God gave me
my daughter already knows the design of her life
she is familiar with its fabric, its shape, its color
her life will look like mine
she will do what she has to do
never leaving her husband
accepting the life he gives her
she will set up her own house
never returning to mine
The third section struck me--wham! I would say stop the poem there, but then I would miss the promise of the remainder. I love that metaphor.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I only had issues with the last two lines...unnecessary for the "craftiness" of the poem, but very important to get across what came out of my convo with Hema...the girlchild CAN NOT come back. This seems to be one of the reasons why marriage is taken so seriously. Girls have to have some pretty awful husbands to justify divorcing them and moving back home.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression was that a women with a heart would be able to do that. I believe she was brave and strong because she did what i wouldnt do just because I believe Iwouldnt do that. I believe that she might not be satisfied because she didnt do what she had wanted to do but she did what she tought was right and what they had tolled her to do. This reminds me of all the women that have to do what they think is right and what they were tought during their life style. I am really immpresed by what she did and what she had to leave behind to follow her religion.
ReplyDeleteWow. She's very courageous in what she did. she was strong even after her sister died. She Took over her sister's life hoping to please no one else but her sister. What she did was very nice and considerate. Surprisingly, she had a choice. After all i've heard about women having no choice in South Asia, hearing about this story early opened my eyes in enlightment. She was very brave in taken up the role of being a mother and wife. You Go Girl!! You get the best persons award in my book.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this the impression I got was that Hema Lata is a stong women and that her life is content. I thought that she was a stong women because she gave up her education, her future, to take care of a family that was not hers. Not many people would do that, even if it were your dead sisters family. Her life is also content becaue her husband is nice and they have enough money to survive. This shows me that she is satisfied with her life. Her life is different from other American women because it was expected of her to give up her education to take care of her family. In America that does not usually happen. Girls do not get married at a young age. Overall I think that she is pleased with her life despite the fact that girls get married at a young age.
ReplyDeleteMahham Fayyaz 8-2
While I was reading this my impression was that her life is very difficult. I think she's a very strong woman for taking over her sister's family and working so hard. Her life doesn't sound anything like women I know because women this days want to get every thing and they don't work as hard as they do over there. I say this because there ain't that many women that would take over their sister's family and would work so hard for nothing. When I say nothing I mean they work for other people not for them and they have to let go of so many opportunities that could make their life's better and they don't care about it they just want to stay with their culture and keep having what they have no matter what.
ReplyDelete-Elizabeth Garcia(8-2)
My first impression on Hama Lata’s life was that from all that happens she still kept on going which showed that she is a strong person. From what I read I know that she is a strong person because it takes a bold woman to be brave enough to take care of her sister’s children and get married to her sister’s husband when she could have got her education and got a better job but instead she left that all to take care of her sisters family when she could have done many things with her education. She gave up a lot and she’s still happy which shows that she is a bold person.
ReplyDeleteI got the impression that hema lata has accepted her life because she has no other choice but to take care of her sisters family which is now her own. Even though her dream was to go to school and finish she had to sacrifice her dream because where she comes from not taking care of your family is something that you're expected to do. Hemas life is much harder than any Americans for many reasons like the fact that she has to sacrifice so much for her family and it doesn't matter what she wants.
ReplyDeleteTatiana Gallardo 8-1
this is kind of sad ti think that she has nowhere to go in life and is limited by her sister's death and even expects her daughter to follow exactly in her footsteps without even a word to say about no choice in life just do what is expected of you.
ReplyDeletei get the imperession that this women had her life planed out.she knew what she wanted to do but when her sister had past away she knew she had to take over her family and she didnt get to do what she wanted to do.she had accepted her life as it is right now. she is greatful for what god has gave her .
ReplyDeletekarina osoio (8-1)
i get the immpression that she has to redo her life because her sister is gone.it is sad bthat she csnt get her education because of her sisters death. i feel bad because she wants to go to school but,she cant because she has to take over her sisters life. and she has to deal with whatever comes her way.and she cant do anything about it. (nora gibson)8-1
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this the impression I got from the poem, was that life is not easy for her. It’s not easy because she had to take over her sisters life when she was 19 and that had to be hard to do. She is a very resilient person because she does not even think about school. Her life does sound like women and girls in the U.S because girls in the states lose their parents and they have to kin d of grow up fats because without a parent figure things get hard. But in this poem it made me mad when she said her daughter knows what kind of life she is going to have; things can change and I think Hema just has a black and white picture of this situation and that’s not good
ReplyDelete-Ashea Acevedo (8-2)