The poem is about a teenage boy struggling with his sexual awakening and desire for a 14-year-old girl. He feels constrained by his mother and social norms, represented by the "umbilical cord" from which he wants to sever. The poem explores the tension between his natural feelings of love and desire for the girl, and the outdated social and religious rules that condemn such premarital relationships.
Original Description:
Mothers jealousy over son's new found love and son's effort to sever the virtual umbilical cord
The poem is about a teenage boy struggling with his sexual awakening and desire for a 14-year-old girl. He feels constrained by his mother and social norms, represented by the "umbilical cord" from which he wants to sever. The poem explores the tension between his natural feelings of love and desire for the girl, and the outdated social and religious rules that condemn such premarital relationships.
The poem is about a teenage boy struggling with his sexual awakening and desire for a 14-year-old girl. He feels constrained by his mother and social norms, represented by the "umbilical cord" from which he wants to sever. The poem explores the tension between his natural feelings of love and desire for the girl, and the outdated social and religious rules that condemn such premarital relationships.
Them he traced with obsession, as a naive juvenile lad With intense interest and fear filled secret feelings Upbeat bodily appetite warded off mom’s code of honor
Boy sixteen, with casual thoughts, wearing dowdy attire
Walking across a girl fourteen, was struck by piercing look It was the straw of shock, that broke social moral’s back Teen’s gaze crazed him to land on new sensual slope
Celibate, idealist, pastor, and parson trading pleasures
For contrary extremes of pain seemed silly and sad Denying desires of natural appetite for feelings of love Looked aberrant, for the teen-ager with deep desire
It is religion the culprit, practicing twisted taboos
Superior faith would consent to prenuptial darling Reason for lad in love to dislike outdated passive ethics Barrier to teen affairs added to stack of hate feelings
Form of the love triangle outlined upsetting extremes
Teenager sought to sever the illusive umbilical cord Firmly mother held on to the baby in her strong arms Faintly cried furtive voices, “Love me and hate her”