Gap Year Notes What is the poem about?

The poem describes Jackie Kays feelin s and emotions to!ards her son "atthe!# $t is split into t!o sections# The first section describes her e%citement and feelin s before he !as born# The second section hi hli hts the places he has &isited !hile tra&ellin on his ap year and ho! Kay feels no! he is not at home# 'o! does the narrator feel in the poem? The narrator (Jackie Kay) is &ery e%cited and lookin for!ard to the birth of her son in section *# +he describes !antin to meet them as a ne! person and ho! she sin s and talks to her bump# We find out "atthe! !as o&erdue and it seems she cant !ait for him to born# $n section , there are more mi%ed emotions# Kay is clearly interested in her sons trip and feels proud that he is tra&ellin to many interestin places# +he also e%periences sadness and some loneliness as "atthe! is not in the house !ith her as she !as used to pre&iously# -t the end of the poem it is clear she is &ery proud of her son# What are some successful techni.ues/phrases/ideas that are included to e%press the main ideas?

"I remember your Moses basket before you were born" The word choice of remember shows us she is reminiscing positively about her memories of the past. "willing you to arrive hardly able to believe" willing suggests a sense of urgency and wish that he would be born !uickly she can"t wait. "#our handsome face soft open..." positive word choice shows her pride and admiration for her son"s appearance and personality. "I feel like a home$alone mother" this comparison subverts our normal e%pectation of &home alone" and almost suggests that she felt she was looked after by her son. This emphasises her sadness and loneliness. "your empty bedroom trying to imagine you in your bed" empty bedroom suggests a sense of loss in comparison to the baby in the basket earlier in the te%t. "My heart soars like the birds in your bright blue skies. My love glows like the sunrise over the lost city." these similes use e%tremely positive vocabulary suggesting her e%treme pride and happiness at the person her son has become and how much she cares about him. "I have a son out in the big wide world." 'he is proud and almost surprised that he has grown into a man in what seems such a short space of time.