Parents outside the nursery window do not believe
they might raise assassins or thieves, at the very worst.
A poet or obscure jazz Musician whose politics
spill loudly from his horn.
The narrator of this poem marvels at the immense possibility that lays before every newborn baby. She suggests that parents must gaze at their new babies in the hospital through glass windows and ponder how their lives will pan out—which opportunities they will take and which they will ignore. Moss points out that not all of these possibilities will be good; she suggests that some children will become murderers or violent people. In this way, the narrator is commenting on the fact that each new life is precious and remarkably impressionable. It is therefore our job, as a society and as parents, to afford our children all the right possibilities.
When you look at me,
know that more than white is missing.
In this poem, Moss addresses her own feelings of racial inequality and inadequacy. She addresses her sense of self-efficacy and self-esteem and suggests that her lack of whiteness is only one contributing factor to her loss of confidence. In this quotation, the narrator implores her readers and viewers to realize that she has experienced great heartache and struggle in her life; she is a broken and incomplete person. The title of the poem implies that we are all incomplete and, if we take a moment to examine ourselves in the mirror, we will see our own shortcomings and regrets—even if others fail to see such things.
Everything about it was wonderful, the method
of conception, the gestation, the womb opening
in perfect analogy to the mind’s expansion.
In this quotation, the narrator concludes that everything about childbirth—including the conception, gestation, and physical birth—is a wondrous miracle. She suggests that childbirth is a life-altering experience, during which one’s mind and soul is completely expanded and heightened. In this way, the narrator is implying that childbirth—the introduction of a new life into the world—is deeply impactful, as that one person has the potential to alter the future of the world. Childbirth is a human experience, one that serves as a metaphor for our own adaptability.
What they say shouldn't bother me
since I’ve heard it before.
In this quotation, Moss explores the intense and deep-rooted feelings of guilt that many mothers often feel in regard to their children. Throughout the poem, Moss metaphorizes her children as the myna, a starling bird. She likens their insistent and critical voices to the ever-calling song of the myna. Here, she suggests that the children are once again complaining and criticizing her actions as a mother. Though the narrator realizes that this is a natural part of life and motherhood, she is still bothered by their criticisms, as she only wishes to be a loving and fulfilling mother. She implies that children are a uniquely ironic gift, as they make women mothers, but they will also forever instill in these mothers a permanent sense of guilt and self-doubt.
