To a Daughter Leaving Home

To a Daughter Leaving Home
by Linda Pastan

When I taught you
at eight to ride
a bicycle, loping along
beside you
as you wobbled away
on two round wheels,
my own mouth rounding
in surprise when you pulled
ahead down the curved
path of the park,
I kept waiting
for the thud
of your crash as I
sprinted to catch up,
while you grew
smaller, more breakable
with distance,
pumping, pumping
for your life, screaming
with laughter,
the hair flapping
behind you like a
handkerchief waving
goodbye.

This poem is about a young girl growing up from a mother's point of view. How I interpret this poem is her riding away from her mom is not only that instant where she is riding her bicycle, but it is symbolism of the girl's life. At the end when she is saying goodbye, the girl is maybe leaving home or going away to college. I picked this poem for a number of reasons. First, i appreciated the symbolism that the author used to represent a child leaving home. The time on the bicycle is depicted as a fun and joyful time, symbolizing that her childhood and her life at home was good. I also picked it because my mother and I are in this position now that I am going away to college. So, this poem reminded me of myself when I read it. The imagery is very good in this poem, but the main literary device that I like is the symbolism, which I have already explained.