Sarah N. Cleghorn
The golf links lie so near the mill
That almost everyday
The laboring children can look
And see the men at play.
This poem is very short. It's only one stanza with four lines. At first I thought writing this response would be easy because the poem is easy, but it turns out it's hard to write a response about a four line poem. I am inferring that Cleghorn is meaning a golf course when she says golf links. I find it curious that she would say link instead of course. This poem reminds me of going to my Grandpas house in Iowa. He lived on the 18th hole of the course, so everyday my sister and I would watch the golfers play. I also find it interesting that in the poem Cleghorn only says watch the men play, but not women as well. It's even more odd that a women would write this poem about the course when she said only men play. It makes me wonder if Cleghorn was one of the children watching the men play golf or if she was envious of the men who had the privilege of playing golf. I think part of the reason Cleghorn said only men were playing golf was because it was set during the time when golf was only a male sport. When Cleghorn mentions that the course was near the mill and the children can watch I think of the early 20th century when children worked in mills.
It is harder to write a response for a short poem. Nobody ever believes me when I tell them that. :)
ReplyDeleteYou've managed to do well, though!