Poetic Elements and Techniques
The poem uses a host of stylistic devices to convey events, moods, and the environment. In the beginning, we see the use of allegory, with statements such as ‘…the frenzy of an old snake…’ to describe the appearance of the road. The ‘black twist of the path’ is used to describe the dark neighborhood path that led to Ti-Marie’s house at nighttime. The ‘the minute of the fireflies,’ is also used to describe nighttime. These images are used in the poem to describe the physical environment where the poem is set.
The use of figurative speech brings the effect of imagery relating to the events and places described. For example, ‘…the speckled road …twisted on itself….’describes the appearance of the ‘snaky’ road ‘twisting on itself.’ The physical environment is described as the place ‘where dasheen leaves thicken,’ which brings out the effect of the rural setting characteristic of trees instead of urban environments where buildings and vehicles would be prominent. The poem describes the sunset as ‘threatening’ to describe the approaching sunset of summertime. ‘In the gully of her voice’ is used to describe the narrative arc or the attention to the narration. Ti-Marie’s head is described as ‘magnificent, Sidone.’
The poem also makes use of personification. For example, ‘… yam vines wrangled over the gutters…’ is used to describe the dense yam vines. The poem also describes the village’s appearance from a distance as ‘ribs’ through which the light glowed from light emanating from the house. ‘Shadow stood up and walked’ is used to describe vivid images brought to life by Ti-Marie’s storytelling skills. The ‘pipe water banging in kerosene tins’ is used to describe the sound of water pouring over the tins.
The use of simile is used to describe the lamplight ‘lucent as paper lanterns.’ Upon arrival, the house’s shutters are described as ‘closing like the eyes of mimosa.’ The comparison between old stories from Ti-Marie with the ‘fragrant origins.’ ‘She was the lamplight in the stare of two mesmerized boys.’ The use of cataphora is seen when Ti-Marie is introduced further into the narration. The poet introduces the narration within identifying the character until later in the narration.
The writer uses parallelism with the statement, ‘there is childhood, and there is childhood’s aftermath.’ A description that brings out another literary device called irony because the childhood’s aftermath has nothing to do with childhood but the elderly Ti-Marie, which is fit to be described as old age. ‘Joined in one shadow, indivisible twins’ is used to describe the close relationship between the twins who were listening to Ti-Marie’s stories. The parallelism brings out the direct comparison between two objects.
Significance of the Experience
The visit to Ti-Marie by the twins is a remarkable experience for them. The journey through the twisty, climbing road in the forest is an experience in itself. The view of the village break of dusk, described as lamp’s lights shining through the ribs, provides visual delight to the twins. The twins enjoy the company of Ti-Maries; they like the sight of her magnificent head. Their love for Ti-Marie’s old stories is evident because they consider themselves lucky to be partakers of the fragrant origins. They considered Ti-Marie a lamp providing them with light. They indicate that they have been visiting Ti-Maries often and every time they enjoyed her mesmerizing stories. They would enjoy getting in the gully of the voice as they follow the fragrant memories storylines. To them, Ti-Marie’s company provided time for bonding.