Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"High School Senior" by Sharon Olds captures the poignant and bittersweet emotions of a parent facing the impending departure of a child for college. The poem navigates the complex feelings of pride, love, and loss, as the speaker contemplates the transition from the intimate daily presence of a daughter to the uncertainty of her absence. Through rich, evocative imagery, Olds explores the deep bond between mother and child, and the inevitable process of letting go.

The poem begins by reflecting on the daughter's presence in the home for seventeen years, marked by the simple, comforting sounds of her breathing at night, "puff, puff, like summer cumulus above her bed." This imagery likens the daughter's breath to clouds, a natural and serene element, evoking a sense of peace and continuity. The sensory detail of her scalp "smelling of apricots" adds a personal and tender touch, encapsulating the intimate knowledge a parent has of their child.

Olds describes the daughter's development with a metaphor of evolution and natural history, likening her to a "bright tree-frog in the dark" and an "eohippus," an ancient ancestor of the horse. These comparisons emphasize the miraculous and organic process of growth, as the daughter emerges "slowly, through me, into the daylight." The speaker's daily experience of her daughter is as essential as "food or air," underscoring the profound, life-sustaining connection between them.

The poem shifts as the speaker grapples with the reality of the daughter's departure for college. The phrase "I say 'college,' but I feel as if I cannot tell / the difference between her leaving for college / and our parting forever" reveals the intensity of the speaker's emotional response. The looming separation feels as significant as a permanent loss, highlighting the deep attachment and fear of the unknown future. The speaker struggles to envision the house without her daughter's "pure depth of feeling," her "creek-brown hair," and her "daedal hands with their tapered fingers." These specific details vividly capture the daughter's presence and the beauty she brings into the speaker's life.

The memory of the daughter's presence "seventeen years ago, in this room," recalls the anticipation and uncertainty of her birth. The speaker reflects on the early days of pregnancy, looking out at a river and unable to imagine life with the child who was soon to arrive. This memory parallels the current moment, as the speaker now faces the equally unimaginable prospect of life without the daughter's daily presence.

Olds uses the imagery of a "column of steam rush[ing] up away from the earth" to symbolize the ephemeral and transient nature of life. The comparison to creatures whose offspring "float away at birth" or those who "throat-feed their young for weeks and never see them again" juxtaposes the human experience of prolonged attachment with the more immediate separations seen in nature. This highlights the unique and often prolonged process of human parenting, with its extended period of nurturing and eventual, inevitable release.

The poem concludes with a powerful expression of enduring love. The speaker acknowledges that while the daughter is free, the love for her remains within the speaker, "moving in my heart, / changing chambers, like something poured / from hand to hand, to be weighed and then reweighed." This metaphor beautifully captures the fluidity and constancy of parental love, ever-present and evolving, regardless of physical distance.

"High School Senior" eloquently expresses the universal experience of parents watching their children grow up and prepare to leave home. Sharon Olds captures the delicate balance of pride and sorrow, the joy of seeing a child mature and the heartache of letting go. Through her vivid and emotive language, Olds conveys the depth of parental love and the profound impact of this life transition.

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