From New Poems (2000), "praise song" Summary

This poem tells a vignette, a tiny story in the life of a family, when a mother, the poet's Aunt Blanche, who lay down on her front lawn and rolled her "basketball of a body" into oncoming traffic. The poem becomes a song of praise, a religious experience, thanking the drivers who stopped before they ran her over, and honoring Aunt Blanche's faith for not staying down until she was indeed run over. The poem also honors the family who embraced her back into their love even though they did not know what compelled her to attempt such a suicide. Finally, the poem becomes worship as all these praiseworthy acts reflect God's reality in these people's lives.

From New Poems (2000), "praise song" Analysis

This is a gentle poem about a potentially...