Stanza 1

Line
1 My small grandmother is tall there,
2 straight-back, white broderie anglaise shirt ,
3 pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun,
4 a kind, old smile round her eyes.
5 Her big hand holds mine,
6 white hand in black hand.
7 Her sharp blue eyes look her death in the eye.

Stanza 2
Line
8 It was true after all; that look.
9 My tall grandmother became small.
10 Her back round and hunched.
11 Her soup forgot to boil.
12 She went to the awful place grandmothers go.
13 Somewhere unknown, unthinkable.

Stanza 3
Line
14 But there she is still,
15 in the photo with me at three,
16 the crinkled smile is still living, breathing.

We must spend as much time as we can with our loved ones while

they are still living

Meaning

When they pass away, all that will be left are the memories, as is
The personas grandmother looks tall in the
illustrated in the poem.
photograph.
2 It is difficult to lose a family member.
She is standing with good posture, wearing an

It is always difficult to deal with the death of a loved one.

embroidered lace blouse.

The persona loses her grandmother when she was younger but she
She wears the blouse with a pleated skirt, non-heeled
will always remember her.
shoes and her hair in a bun.
3 We must never forget the importance of family relationship.
She is smiling kindly.

We should not forget to love and care for our family, especially our
Her big hand is holding the personas hand.
grandparents who are the pillars of a family.
The contrast of their skin colours can clearly be seen

When they are old and sick, we must continue to take care of them.
in their linked hands.
Her grandmothers blue eyes suggests that her death is
Summary of Stanza 1
near.
The persona is looking at an old photograph of her grandmother and herself.
She describes the photograph her grandmother is standing tall and
Meaning
straight, dressed in a white embroidered lace blouse with a pleated skirt, and
The personas reference of death
came
true.
flat
shoes.
Her grey hair is pulled neatly into a bun. She is smiling kindly
The grandmother became thinner
and
more
while holdingfragile.
the personas hand in hers, giving her the security and comfort.
Her back became hunched.
As the persona describes their linked hands white hand in black hand it
She became forgetful.
is clear that they come from a mixed race family. The last line seems to
Soon, she passed away.
suggest that the persona knows that her grandmothers death will come soon.
Upon her death, she went to a place that no one
knows.
Summary of Stanza 2
While the first describes the photograph, in the second stanza, the persona is
remembering her grandmother later, when she is older and has become ill.
Meaning
persona recalls
However, in the photograph, herThe
grandmother
will how her grandmother soon grows thinner and more
fragile. Her back is hunched and she becomes forgetful as is illustrated in the
always be alive.
line,
soup forgot to boil. Eventually, she passes away and upon her
The persona was there years old in
theHer
photograph
death, she goes to an unimaginable place.
with her grandmother.
Her grandmothers smile is still so alive and real.

Summary of Stanza 3

Moral Value
1 We must treasure our loved ones when they are alive.

However, in the photograph, the personas grandmother will forever be alive.

She is still there, holding the hand of her three-year-old granddaughter, with
her smile looking so alive and real.

Themes
1 The everlasting quality of
a photograph

A photograph immortalizes a person or a moment. What is captured

in a photograph will remain alive forever.

In the poem, the personas grandmother has already passed away.

However, in the photograph, she will always be healthy and alive.

A photograph also allows us grandmother passes away to reflect on
what happened in the past and relive our memories.

2 Death

Death is a definite outcome for all of us.

In the poem, the persona recalls how her grandmother was once

strong and healthy but soon grows older and becomes ill.
In the end, the grandmother passes away and the persona is
only able to relive her memories with her grandmother through
a photograph.