I Remember the Room was Filled with Light

I Remember the Room was Filled with Light
Judith Hemschemeyer
They were still young, younger than I am now.
I remember the room was filled with light
And moving air. I was watching him
Pick brass slivers from his hands as he did each night
After work. Bits of brass gleamed on his brow.
She was making supper. I stood on the rim
Of a wound just healing; so when he looked up
And asked me when we were going to eat
I ran to her, though she could her.
She smiled And said, ‘Tell him . . .’ Then ‘Tell her . . .’ on winged feet
I danced between them, forgiveness in my cup,
Wise messenger of the gods, their child.

Through some research I’d like to point out that the poet in this case is actually not Judith Hemschemeyer
but actually the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova (Judith Hemschemeyer being here translator.)

I think the theme of this poem is that parents are the gods of our childhood.

I hope that any AP lit students reading this will appreciate a little bit more, the information we just learned in our last class.

The poet begins by letting us know this is a memory of her father (who we will learn later works in an electrical wiring factory.) She has hurt her self in some way and is confronted with the fact she must tell him. She runs to her nanny. And she, in her paternal way smile, but tells her to tell the two (her mother and father) about the wound. And like the messenger god Hermes, she spins the tale of her accident to Zeus and Hera. Side note: Zeus is the god of thunder, or electricity; Therefore it makes sense that the brass he pulls from his hands is the brass they use for electrical wiring.

She is a child of the gods, and that is where I get the theme that: in our childhood, our parents are our gods.

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading.