Buttercups" When we were children our papas were stout And…
““Buttercups" When we were children our papas were stout And colorless as seaweed or the floats At anchor off New Bedford. We were shut In gardens where our brassy sailor coats Made us like black-eyed susans bending out Into the ocean, Then my teeth were cut: A levelled broom-pole butt Was pushed into my thin And up-turned chin-- There were shod hoofs behind the horseplay. But I played Napoleon in my attic cell Until my shouldered broom Bobbed down the room With horse and neighing shell. Recall the shadows the doll-curtains veined On ancrem Winslow's ponderous plate from blue China, the breaking of time's haggard tide On the huge cobwebbed print of Waterloo, With a cracked smile across the glass. I cried To see the Emperor's sabered eagle slide From the clutching grenadier Staff-officer With the gold leaf cascading down his side-- A red dragoon, his plough-horse rearing, swayed Back on his reins to crop The buttercup Bursting upon the braid””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
A nostalgic, surreal recollection of childhood memories interwoven with historical and personal imagery, reflecting on loss, imagination, and the passage of time.
In simple terms: Childhood memories blend history and imagination, showing loss and wonder.
Key Takeaway
Embrace imagination while acknowledging change.
Themes
nostalgia
history
imagination
loss
identity
Mood
melancholic
reflective
dreamy
Type
poetic
literary
reflective
When to use this quote
- childhood play
- family storytelling
- historical reflection
- personal grief
- artistic creation
Key Concepts
surrealism
memory
historical allusion
Questions to Reflect On
- How do personal memories shape our perception of history?
- What role does imagination play in coping with loss?
A Different Perspective
The poem’s dense imagery may obscure its emotional core for some readers.