Re c i p ro c i t i e s

1. . She gave me skeins of wool

2. To hold out (like a priest at Mass),
3. With stern rubrics not to fidget, while she
4. Wound it into a ball, unwinding me,
5. Unravelling my hands and arms, checking
6. My lapses with a gentle tug
7. When I wandered off through images
8. Her chat had made, for though
9. She kept the line between us taut
10. She kept my heart at ease with all her talk.
11. And when her ball compacted grew,
12. And my few strands fell limp away,
13. I knew there was no loss, for she
14. Would knit it back again to fit me perfectly.
15. But richer still,
16. I see today these lines are drawn out from me
17. To knit through this faltering verse
18. A thread of memory
19. Time has pulled away from consciousness.

The title
 Reciprocity = Equivalent exchange; mutual give and take; respond to
(a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one; (of a part of a
machine) move backwards and forwards in a straight line.
 A state of mutual dependence.
 This poem is about mutual benefits. The mother would be assisted by
the boy when knitting. The boy has grown up to be a man, and he now
writes poetry. He compares his writing to his mother’s knitting.

The dicication
 “for my mother”
 The dedication implies that (by looking at the title) it is a mutual give
and take between a mother and her child.

Examples of reciprocity in the poem

 Line 1: “She gave me” She is physically giving him skeins of wool
 Line 2: To hold out (he is reciprocating by doing a task for his mother)
 Lines 4-6: “Wound it into a ball, unwinding me/Unravelling my hands
and arms” She is taking the wool from him, but “checking/My lapses
with a gentle tug” she is also giving him reminders.
 Line 7-10: “She kept the line” and “She kept my heart” also means
the mother is taking, but she is giving back by telling him stories “She
kept my heart at ease with all her talk” which he enjoyed so much he
would “wander[ed] off through images her chat had made”
 Lines 11-14: “her ball compacted grew” she is taking and he is giving
so much “my few strands fell limp away”, but he “knew there was no
loss, for she/Would knit it back again” she is giving him the final
product, so he gave his time and energy, and she is giving him love
and warmth and raising him – her teachings and lessons he’s learnt will
“keep him warm” throughout his life.
 Lines 16-18: “these lines are drawn out from me/To knit through this
faltering verse/A thread of memory”. The speaker is taking the words
our from himself (including the lessons learned) and putting it down on
paper, dedicating it to his mother – he is giving back to her. This is one
of the biggest reciprocities in the poem. The speaker is using
everything she gave him, to give back to her as best he can.
 Line 19: Time takes as well – the speaker implies here that we must
take from time, and learn from his “Time has pulled away from
consciousness” but he is fighting against this and taking what he can –
memories of his mother and the lessons and love she gave to him.

Type and form

This is a lyrical poem written in free verse. The speaker expresses his
personal feelings and relates a heartfelt memory of a shared experience
between him and his mother. The poem consists of three stanzas of
varying length. Each stanza consists of one sentence each. Each stanza is
connected to the previous one with a conjunction that joins the ideas into
a single thought.

It is written in free verse – there is no set rhyme scheme. Only line 2 and
line 3 rhyme: ‘she’ and ‘me’. This is a clever way to emphasise the bond
between the two of them. In line 1, This line flows over into the next, as it
completes the idea. The enjambment here, in line 3 and from line 5 to 10,
emphasises the continuous routine of a son holding out his hands for his
mother to untangle and roll up the wool in order to knit something new
with it.
Enjambement
After line 1, the line flows over into the next, as it completes the idea. The
enjambment here, in line 3 and from line 5 to 10, emphasises the
continuous routine of a son holding out his hands for his mother to
untangle and roll up the wool in order to knit something new with it. Also
seen line 16 and runs through to the last line of the poem, emphasising
the continuous influence of his mother and the memories inspired by it.

Tone and mood

 The tone is appreciative because the speaker appreciates the lessons
he learnt from his mother.
 The mood is gentle, nostalgic and reflective. It effectively portrays their
relationship of mutual love and respect for each other.
 The tone is equally gentle, loving and caring.
 He is grateful and appreciative when he remembers their shared
experiences. It leaves him with a feeling of harmonious wholeness.
 The tone is reflective and nostalgic, as the speaker looks back on the
past and the memories that were created.
 The speaker feels nostalgic and sentimental when he writes this poem
as a tribute to his mother.

Theme 1: Nostalgia
 The speaker longs for the time he has spent with his mother and some
of the activities they did while being together.
 When he writes, he feels connected to his mother and this reinforces
the idea of nostalgia.

Theme 2 : Mutual Dependence

 The mother benefits from the boy who holds the skeins of cotton for
her.
 The boy also benefits from spending time in his mother’s company. Her
focus and creativity find its way into his writing.

Theme 3: Love and gratitude

 The poem is a tribute to the speaker's mother and expresses his love
and gratitude towards her.
 It highlights the importance of family and the role of a mother in
shaping her child's life and thinking.
Theme 4: Motherhood
 The relationship between the speaker and his mother is the central
theme of the poem.
 The mother is portrayed as a caring, patient and nurturing figure who
provides the speaker with love, support and guidance.

Theme 5: Memory
 The poet reflects on and explores the idea of cherished childhood
memories and how they shape our identity.

Vocabulary
 Skeins: length of thread loosely coiled or knotted
 Rubrics: a set of instructions or rules – especially as to how a church
service should be conducted
 Lapse: brief or temporary loss of concentration / lapse in moral
judgement (sin)
 Taut: tight
 Compacted: compressed or firmly packed together - grown
 Strand: a thin length of thread 24 Vocabulary Word Basic meaning
 Faltering: imperfect
 Mass: Church service in Roman Catholic religion – lead by a priest.

Summary
 In this narrative free verse, the speaker reflects on how he used to help
his mother during her knitting sessions.
 He remembers how his mother would make him hold the skeins of wool
so she could roll it into a ball.
 He is also reminded of the relationship they had.
 He is now a writer, and his writing process reminds him of those
childhood years.
 He compares his writing to his mother's knitting.
 His mother benefitted from him just like he benefited from his mother’s
experience, commitment, talks and skill.

Stanza 1
 In stanza one, the speaker looks at the process of winding or spinning
wool into a ball.
 His mother would give him skeins to hold with two hands held up and
wide apart.
 Holding his hands like that would make him look like a priest at a mass
(line 2).
 He would be given instructions to follow just like a priest would follow
instructions from the rubrics (line 3).
 He would be told not to move or twitch (‘not to fidget’ in line 3).
 As the process went on his head would spin, resulting in his confusion
and wandering. He would drop his hands.
 She would check his concentration by pulling the strands harder (‘…
checking/ My lapses with a gentle tug’ in lines 5 and 6).
 If he loses concentration and his mind starts wandering, his mother
puts him at ease by talking to him.

Stanza 2
 When the ball of firm, strong wool grew bigger and bigger (line 11) it
was a sign that there was no loss, and they had enough for his mother
to knit something for him.

Stanza 3
 Looking back, he now realises that the imperfect poems he creates are
not as perfect as his mother’s knitting.
 His writing is like a thread that connects him to his mother.
 Writing poetry always prompts his thoughts about his mother’s knitting.
 ‘But’ (line 15) is used to show transition or to link his childhood to
adulthood.

Extended metaphor
 The relationship with his mother, her style of parenting and her
influence on his development is compared to the process of knitting a
sweater.
 It flows between gentle and stern – the give and take of parenting.
 The string of wool is used as an extended metaphor to describe the
relationship between the two of them – a ‘tight’, loving relationship.
 Writing poetry is like knitting – the words are like wool, that has to be
thread and knitted carefully to create a final product.
 Literally, a sweater
 Figuratively, a poem
Line by line analysis
1. She gave me skeins of wool
2. To hold out (like a priest at Mass), Simile: Compares
the speaker’s held out hands to a priest blessing the people during
Mass – likens the ritual with his mother to a religious/precious
experience.
3. With stern rubrics not to fidget, while she Metaphor: Compares
the instructions of church to parental discipline – stern but gentle
4. Wound it into a ball, unwinding me, Literal: she takes the wool
off the speaker’s arms, and he starts relaxing as the process continues
Figurative: Parenting – the mother gives him the freedom to
unravel, and helps put him together again Links to title: Give
and take – mother gets wool from the son, who holds it out for her =
reciprocity
5. Unravelling my hands and arms, checking
6. My lapses with a gentle tug Literal: the boy has a tendency
for his thoughts to wander – it might lead to him losing his grip. Her
gentle tug brough his attention back to his task. Figurative: She
kept him and his faith strong when he faltered or when he went
through difficult moments in his life through gentle parenting
7. When I wandered off through images Metaphor: walking away
compared to going deeply into one’s thoughts. The boy is at ease, so
he starts daydreaming
8. Her chat had made, for though Her talking/stories made him
distracted – he would daydream and lose focus on his “job”.
Emphasises the friendly, informal nature of the mother’s conversation
9. She kept the line between us taut Metaphor: the string of
wool is compared to the bond between mother and son – she kept her
son close, didn’t let him stray too far. Their bond was strong.
Contrast = tight line / heart relaxed suggests he was reprimanded
lovingly when needed. Literal: the string he is holding as he is
helping his mother
10. She kept my heart at ease with all her talk. She kept him
calm and at peace – both while helping her, and in life itself
The length of the first stanza reflects the length of their chats and
time spent together. The ball of yarn is bigger – indicates they
have been spinning for some time and have a lot of string
11. And when her ball compacted grew, The ball of yarn is
bigger – indicates they have been spinning for some time and have a
lot of string
12. And my few strands fell limp away, Last few strands that
leave his hands as his mother finished the unwinding Strings
 She kept him calm and at peace – both while helping her, and
in life itself
13. I knew there was no loss, for she, Metaphor: The loss of
loose strings is compared to the loss of time/effort/moral behaviour.
14. Would knit it back again to fit me perfectly. Emphasises
their bond – she knows him perfectly inside and out (size)
The sweater/item she knitted symbolises a mother’s love, devotion
and contribution to his development into adulthood. She is turning him
into a well-adapted adult.
15. But richer still, Transitional word: it links the speaker’s past
to the present. He is now in the present His mother’s
influence means even more now
16. I see today these lines are drawn out from me
Metaphor: The lines of thread he used to help his mother spin is
compared to the lines of poetry that he is now writing – it suggests that
his mother’s influence is visible in his present life, thoughts and
emotions
17. To knit through this faltering verse Struggling – the
speaker is struggling to put the words together well enough to make a
complete poem
18. A thread of memory Metaphor: The lines of thread are
compared to pieces of memory we draw/carry from earlier times into
the present.
19. Time has pulled away from consciousness. Time has
lessened the effect /memories of his mother’s lessons, but he uses
what he can remember to write this poem to remember her and what
she taught forever.

Reciprocity – his mother formed him and shaped him, showed him love.
He returns her love through this poem and shows his gratitude for her
advice and parenting.