Verse two of the poem continues on the narrator’s reflection:
“Best friends too Mary and I
A common bond in being cleverest (equal)
In out small school’s small class.”
The words “Mary and I” are again repeated which enforces the idea that at this point in their lives they are still the best of friends. The poem at this stage is also written in the style of a young child. For example a word in brackets at the end of a sentence is common in the writing of young children. The words “small school’s small class” is an alliteration emphasizing that however proud she was when she received the awards, it was only a minute achievement. Verse two is a continuation of verse one in the sense that she continues to reflect on her memories.
Verse three finally reveals the differences in the lives of the narrator and Mary:
“I remember the housing scheme
Where we both stayed.
The same houses, different homes
Where the choices were made.”
“Houses” in this verse mean the same physical buildings in which they lived. However “homes” mean the environment created by the people who lived there. It is ironic that although the narrator and Mary lived in the same “houses”, their families are different and that is what makes up the “homes”. Rather, we expect that their families are the same as they all live in similar conditions.
At the start of verse four we are informed that Mary has moved away. Again this lets us reflect on how in the past we have lost a friend through a variety of reasons. We are also told the reason for their move is for a “cheaper rent”. The narrator is unsure and confused about this, as the phrases “I don’t know exactly” and “something about” are used. However this is starkly contrasted with the second half of the verse, which the narrator described in detail, thus showing that she remembered it clearly:
“Mary’s father, mufflered, contrasting strangely
With the elegant greyhounds by his side,
He didn’t believe in high school education, especially for girls,
Or in forking out for uniforms.”
By “mufflered” and “elegant greyhounds” we can see that Mary’s father does not hesitate to spend money on himself. However he is much less forthcoming when asked to invest on others, even his own daughter. The greyhounds also give Mary’s father a powerful and regal image. From this point on in the poem, the narrator brings us into the present and a different approach is used in her description.
Verse five is when the narrator meets Mary again after they have both grown up into adulthood:
“Ten years later on a Saturday-
I am coming from the library-
Sitting near me on the bus,
Mary
With a husband who is tall,
Curly haired, has eyes
For no one else but Mary.
Her arms are round the full-shape vase
That is her body.
Oh, you can see where the attraction lies
In Mary’s life-
Not that I envy her, really.”
Earlier on in the poem Mary is always mentioned together with the narrator. In this verse however, “Mary” is isolated. This shows that they are not as close as they used to be. From this verse we also know that Mary is married and is going to have a child. The phrase “Not that I envy her, really” suggests the narrator is actually envious of Mary but she is not willing to admit it. This verse draws up our memories of meeting old friends again after a long time not seeing them. Again the narrator uses her experiences to link into ours and makes us reflect in the same way.
Finally the last verse of the poem departs from the narrator’s usual style of recollections, but instead makes us think as she puts a question to us:
“And I am coming from the library
With my arms full of books.
I think of those prizes that were ours for the taking
And wonder when the choices got made
We don’t remember making.”
The phrase “arms full of books” is contrasted to the phrase in the previous verse “the full-shaped vase that is her body.” Here, an animate, promising unborn child is compared to a pile of inanimate books. It is ironic to see how the narrator always regarded her chosen path in life to be the correct one but upon seeing a reward that is just as desirable, she starts to wonder if she had made the right choice. This is the question that she asked us: Do we really make our own decisions? Or is it that actually our parents shape our future? Mary’s father, for example, disagreed with letting her going to high school, and this led her onto a path different from the narrator’s. We are drawn into thinking whether we have chosen to become what we are now through our own decisions or are there people who exert more influence on us even more than ourselves.
So how does Liz Lochead makes us reflect on both her memories and our own? By retelling her past we start to think back into our own past as well, and unavoidably we pick out similar experiences. Also her descriptions are clear, detailed and create vivid images, further aiding us in recollection. Lastly she leaves us with a question and in our quest to find the solution, we explore deeply into our past.