Now when you hates you shrinks up inside and gets littler and you squeezes your heart tight and you stays so mad with peoples you feels sick all the time like you needs the doctor.
My grandmothers are full of memories, smelling of soap and onions and wet clay, with veins rolling roughly over quick hands, they have many clean words to say, my grandmothers were strong.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the strength and memories associated with grandmothers, highlighting their nurturing qualities and the rich experiences they impart.
In this quote, Margaret Walker beautifully encapsulates the essence of grandmothers as figures of strength and wisdom. The imagery of memories tied to sensory details like soap, onions, and wet clay evokes a vivid sense of home and heritage, symbolizing the many lessons and affection they provide. Their 'clean words' suggest the importance of their guidance and values, emphasizing the lasting impact they have on our lives.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
Referencing this quote during a family reunion to celebrate the role of grandmothers in shaping family values.
More from Margaret Walker
All quotes →The poetry of a people comes from the deep recesses of the unconscious, the irrational and the collective body of our ancestral memories.
The Word of fire burns today On the lips of our prophets in an evil age.
I want my careless song to strike no minor key; no fiend to stand between my body's Southern song - the fusion of the South, my body's song and me.
Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go.
Similar quotes
I want to give my kids the world, but I also want them to appreciate everything, to succeed, to be good people, to enjoy life. This is my most important role. If I fail at this, I fail at everything.
My mother was the first singer I had contact with. She sang constantly to us around the house, in church.
If you sit down and read with your kid, either having your child read to you or you reading to your child at a regular time each day, it deepens the relationship. You don't have to talk about stuff; the story will do that work for you.
If you have children and want to give your future self a present, record their laughter as toddlers. When they're older and away from you, you might find that clip in the middle of the day, and it will transport you as surely as if you had a time machine.
My mom cleaned toilets for a long time, and she'd seen a lot of terrible things, but she was still the strength of our family. And there are women like that all across the country - all around the world - who show that type of fortitude.
Raising children is a creative endeavor, an art rather than a science.