In todays discussion we talked about similarities of specific poems between Lewis's and other poems we have read throughout the semester. I analyzed the poem "The Mothers." Professor Marshall explained that the poem was about two females that engaged in some kind of sexual activity while they were at work. This is a reading that I think was the authors intent, however, I do believe this poem serves as a double meaning whether it was intentional by the author or not. The poem reads:
We meet—sometimes—between the dry hours,
Between clefts in the involuntary plan,
Refusing to think of rent or food—how
Civic the slick to satisfied from man.
And Democratic. A Lucky Strike each, we
Sponge each other off, while what's greyed
In and grey slinks ashamed down the drain.
No need to articulate great restraint,
No need to see each other's mouth lip
The obvious. Giddy. Fingers garnished
With fumes of onions and garlic, I slip
Back into my shift, then watch her hands—wordless—
Reattach her stockings to the martyred
Rubber moons wavering at her garter.
I think the first few phrases that say "dry hours" and "involuntary plan" are references to an unplanned pregnancy. The line "Civic the slick to satisfied from man" refers to the relationship and duty that men and woman are supposed to have sex. The next part of the poem seems to be some kind of abortion, as the "ashamed" (fetus) goes down the drain. In the next stanza, it seems as if the patient is happy after the unplanned pregnancy had been aborted, and the doctors hands are full of a substance from her vagina. The last two lines represent the woman putting back on her cloths after the abortion.
The reading of two females doing some sort of sexual activity at work is probably the most accurate reading of this piece. However, I do see a tie between an involuntary pregnancy and the realization of a woman who prefers another woman over a man.
I think that your observations are certainly valid. This is because I can see how those lines connect with abortion and unplanned pregnancy. Especially with the lines that you point out, I think that there are two ways that we can interpret this poem. At first, I did not totally buy into the reading that the poem could represent two women having sex, simply because I think it seemed somewhat inconsistent with the other subject matters in "Sable Venus". However, Robin Lewis does trace the work and image of women, and an important element of Prof. Marshall's reading is that they are engaging in this while at work. it is a very plausible and real depiction in my mind, because Lewis' work in general seemed to get at the heart of what a woman's image is all about. It is about subjection, but it is also about independence.
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