She now depicts the attitude of self-exaltation and gratification in keeping earthly things when in fact it is an attitude we can control if our heart so desires: The speaker becomes more explicit of presenting her case in the third stanza. The theme of the poem is also brought to life by her mentioning of only one object worth keeping (the one she mentions first) but it can also suggest that even the son’s note itself is meaningless except for what it says which can be kept in her heart. These contrasting objects she first mentions and those that followed with monetary value lead the speaker to question (all the things that I love?) their meaning to her. Furthermore, son’s note which is more generally kept is drawn parallel against Dad’s one gaudy tie which is generally worn. The meaning of the “blue Indian” shawl is therefore tied up parallel with “gaudy” (showy) because if we take note, both tie and shawl are being worn to be shown. Blue as a distinctive color represents excellence and royalty while Indian cloth (from which the shawl is made), particularly silk is considered as one of the world’s finest. It is also interesting to note that shawl here has two modifiers: blue and Indian.
It is the only thing mentioned that does not have a monetary value. The first object she names standing alone without a modifier suggests that it’s the only thing worth keeping as it is not as gaudy a possession as the rest. If we take a look into the commonality of the modifiers she uses, we can come up with an impression she is trying to create. Moreover, the word “once” is repeated twice (line 3 and 4) in the same stanza and in successive lines showing the intensity of her love for doing such a thing as keeping something.Īll the things she enumerates are modified (gaudy tie, roto picture, blue Indian shawl, money bill) except the first one – son’s note. Line 1 and 3 are made up of 4 syllables while 2 and 4 are made up of 5. It is not just the images she chose but also the simplicity and regularity of the opening lines, particularly the sense of balance of her monosyllabic lines (Lines 1 and 2). The opening images create a sense of security for the speaker. The first stanza is telling us how good it makes the speaker feel to keep little and foldable things in a box deliberately.
It is dealing with more general questions of what we cling on to and what may unsettle us in life. “Bonsai” clearly amounts to more than just questioning the exaltation of keeping material things. The obvious tension in this poem is between a sense of materialism and an idea of spirituality. This questioning leads directly into the last stanza, where she implores the readers to share (hand over) material (breathless) things of their control to the needy (merest child) as all material things are but temporary but life and love are real.
In the third stanza, she explicitly mentions that keeping earthly things is an absolute self-gratification. In the second stanza, however, she starts to question this attitude of keeping earthly things. The speaker in Edith Tiempo’s poem begins by presenting an image of feeling secure by keeping things that she holds dear.
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