“Still they moved through my head”
Melody narrates, “No vocalist. The little girl didn’t know the words. The broad-shouldered woman, having once belated them out loud while showering, was now saved and refused to remember them. Iris wouldn’t allow them to be sung and Malcolm’s brother’s sweet seven-year-old mouth was full. Still they moved through my head as though Prince himself were beside me.” Here, Melody elucidates the pervasiveness of Prince’s lyrics in her mind. Although Iris does not approve of the singing of the lyrics, Melody distinguishes them. The ironic lyrics in Melody’s head accentuate Prince’s impact, which cannot be obliterated from Melody’s thoughts.
The Irony of Enmity
Iris asserts “Feels like it’s always a competition these days. Somewhere along the way, I became your enemy.” It is ironic for Iris and her daughter, as relatives, to also be such foes. The ironic enmity accentuates the predominant disconnect between Melody and Iris, which prevents them from bonding unreservedly.
