Still dark, my baby girl leaps out
the window to greet the rising sun.
I stand below ready to catch her,
but every time she takes off
without fail, her laughter calling
to the orioles, calling
to my shame that had I the choice,
I would have never taught her to fly.
Somewhere there is a man with a gun
who will take pleasure in seeing her
skin against the pure blue sky—
and shooting her down.
My own mother did not flinch
when I first raised my arms
and lifted my feet off the ground,
above her head.
She only said you better hope
bulletproof skin comes with that
gift. Years later I found out it did.
 
Copyright © 2017 Gary Jackson. Used with permission of the author.
|
I think the poem uses flying as a metaphor for freedom to pursue your dreams. The men with guns represent people who will try to halt your attempts to achieve your dreams. Bullet proof skin represents the ability to ignore the people trying to bring you down.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is really confusing. i kind of got it but not really. I dont know if he's talking about people not letting you down or it being hunting season. Or maybe its about racism. Dont let the white man shoot you or something.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the poem is about a father who sees that his little girl is succeeding and because of her succeeding, he fears that people, men in this case, will try to bring her down. This shows a father-daughter bond between the two characters.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the poem uses flying to represent freedom and the man with a gun represents people who would try to take away that freedom such as the government or people of high authority.
ReplyDeleteThis poem correlates to historical events and real life issues today. It discusses the topic of racial equality, and how it doesn't exist. It expresses how an African American will be "shot" down physically and metaphorically because of their skin tone. How the "men with guns" will do any and everything in their power to restrict an African American from their freedom. It's sickening actually, that a person of dark complexion is encouraged to live in fear.
ReplyDeleteThis poem represents not life but what comes with it in a way. I believe this because he speaks on how his daughter prospers or "flies" above the estimated height. Also, it says how he could have flown and that her skin better have bullet proof skin. this represents the fact that he could have gotten farther in life if he wanted to and i also think the bullet proof skin represents the mentality that they better be prepared for what comes in life or what others have to say and at the end it says how they would later find out that they did.
ReplyDeleteThe poem uses the ability of flight as a metaphor for freedom and success. It portrays the men with guns as people who will try to stop you from reaching your destination in life. Bulletproof skin is representing immunity and the capability to ignore people who are trying to stop you.
ReplyDeleteThe lines that stuck out to me the most is when it said "She only said you better hope bulletproof skin comes with that gift. Years later I found out it did." I feel like its saying that once he flew high his mother wasn't afraid she hoped that he would be unstoppable from his dreams. Men with guns represents obstacles you face to overcome.
ReplyDeleteThis poem is like a metaphor for women and black people in society. The author is fearful that someone will "shoot down" his daughter because she knows how to "fly" because his mother taught him that if he knew how to "fly" he'd better be prepared to handle the consequences ("bullet proof skin") being that he is black in a society where being black is not necessarily excepted, especially if you were high above the status quo (flying), so because of this he feared for his daughter who was learning how to "fly".
ReplyDeleteThis poem uses metaphor to explain freedom. Men with guns are representing people who stop you from reaching your destination in life. The bullet proof skin is your protection and it's going to help you reach your goal.
ReplyDeleteThe poem speaks on rising in life and the people will bring you down. The father was to afraid to fly but his mother told him that if had "bulletproof skin" or in other words having thick skin. Not letting the world or other people bring you down.
ReplyDeleteThis poem addressees the situations occurring gin society today. Discussing the discrimination against women and African Americans, this poem speaks about the power in ignoring people who want to bring them down.
ReplyDelete