by Pat Mora (p1005)
I live in a doorway
between two rooms. I hear
quiet clicks, cups of black
coffee, click, click like facts
budgets, tenure, curriculum,
from careful women in crisp beige
suits, quick beige smiles
that seldom sneak into their eyes.
I peek
in the other room señoras
in faded dresses stir sweet
milk coffee, laughter whirls
with steam from fresh tamales
sh, sh, mucho ruido,
they scold one another,
press their lips, trap smiles
in their dark, Mexican eyes.
Mora expresses her ties to both American and Mexican cultures through this poem. Through the use of coffee, she is able to contrast both cultures, or the “two rooms”, that shape who she is. The structure she utilizes for each part of her mirrors the other, giving a sense of equality. The two parts of the poem almost parallel each other exactly. She has assimilated into American culture, yet continues to be strongly rooted in her origins. One room showcases the Americanized aspect of capitalism, where hard work is valued and opportunities are endless. The women dress in “crisp beige suits” which obviously reflects a business setting. On the other hand, the “señoras” dress in “faded dresses” that represent Mexican traditions.
It is interesting how she concludes both parts of her poem. She points out that the women in suits have “smiles that seldom sneak into their eyes” while señoras “press their lips, trap smiles” within themselves. She almost laments the office setting of America, symbolizing structure and uniformity. And it’s almost as if her Mexican values relieve some of her stresses.
3 comments:
The poem is also split into stanzas like the two rooms, the two cultures and the two types of people or women. They are compared in the same ways, through their coffee, their suits, smiles and eyes. (Prehaps to symbolize that they are alike just the same?)
The two worlds that Pat Mora lives in is described as "a doorway between two rooms". She is torn between her Mexican heritage and American upbringing. I agree that the fact that the women are compared in repspect to their eyes, coffee and smiles symbolizes that they are alike. Furthermore, the "black coffee", "beige smiles", and "dark eyes" of the women show the darkness in Mora's attitude. She is confused as to how to ebrace both of her cultures. She feels torn and depressed.
I see what you all mean when you say she's "torn", but I must disagree. She isn't torn at all, she's frustrated. The way she talks about the American room is clearly negative. Everything is beige, which in this case suggests blandness, lack of character, and indeed "careful" ness, because it does not make a statement nor offend anyone. The way she says "careful women", and the clicks they make "click like facts" is clearly not appealing to her in any way. This is underscored by the last lines in that stanza "quick beige smile that seldom sneak into their eyes". In this culture, she sees no feeling, no color, nothing subjective, and she doesn't refer to this positively in any way.
The other room she clearly admires, as shown by the sweetness of their coffee, the warmth of their food, the laughter, their ease in laughing and scolding one another (not careful), and the smiles that go to their eyes.
See? she's not torn. she's frustrated because the american side of her confines the wonderful mexican side.
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