My darling son,
there is a cry for war
across the land
by those who have no sons
and it calls for you to fight.
We wave goodbye
then I see the gun
across your shoulder
and I nearly die.
My darling son,
when the war is over
and the guns fall silent,
when there is peace
over our ravaged land,
I will bake a cake;
we will sing, we will dance
and we shall eat the fatted calf.
Forty years have flown by
and the young soldier
has not come home yet
until one day in March
a truck rolls into the tiny town
carrying in its back a coffin with
the missing soldier's bones.
A few words about the poem…
I Will Bake a Cake – A Poem from the Collection Cyprus Poems, for Yiannis Liasi
The poem “I Will Bake a Cake” stands as a deeply moving exploration of loss, memory, and the lingering shadows of war. As part of the Cyprus Poems collection, it delves into the personal and collective grief that arose from the turbulent events of the 1974 coup d’état in Cyprus and the subsequent Turkish invasion. The poet weaves a narrative of heartbreak and resilience, offering a profound meditation on the enduring pain of families torn apart by conflict.
The Structure of Grief
The poem opens with a mother's intimate address to her son, encapsulating the universal experience of love shadowed by fear. The stark imagery of a gun slung over her son’s shoulder sets the tone for the inevitability of loss, juxtaposed against the tender farewell that follows. This opening stanzas capture the tension between maternal hope and the looming spectre of war, as the mother, though supportive, is internally shattered by the sight of her son as a soldier.
The promise to “bake a cake” introduces a poignant symbol of reunion and celebration, an emblem of hope that stands resilient even as time erodes its likelihood. The festive imagery contrasts sharply with the mother’s underlying anxiety, reflecting the dissonance between her dreams of peace and the harsh reality of prolonged separation.
As the poem progresses, the shift in tone becomes pronounced. The decades that pass without her son’s return are distilled into a single, devastating line: “Forty years have flown by.” This temporal leap mirrors the long, agonising wait endured by countless Cypriot families, their lives suspended between hope and despair. The culmination of this journey, marked by the arrival of her son’s bones in a coffin, delivers an unflinching depiction of the finality of loss.
The Power of Symbolism
Symbolism plays a central role in the poem, enriching its emotional and thematic layers. The gun over the son’s shoulder serves not only as a harbinger of death but also as a broader metaphor for the cost of militarisation on human lives. The mother’s promise to bake a cake, with its biblical undertones of celebration and sacrifice, echoes the fatted calf, creating a poignant irony as the anticipated feast becomes a mourning ritual.
The truck that rolls into the village bearing the son’s remains symbolises the cruel resolution of long-held uncertainty. It is both a conclusion and a new beginning, forcing the mother and her community to confront the realities of their shared history.
A Portrait of Maternal Love
At its heart, “I Will Bake a Cake” is a testament to the enduring strength of maternal love. The mother’s unwavering commitment to her son, expressed through her hopeful plans for a joyful reunion, underscores the depth of her loss. Her voice, tender yet resolute, embodies the collective grief of a generation of Cypriot women who endured similar fates.
The universality of this love transcends cultural and historical boundaries, offering readers a lens through which to empathise with the experiences of those affected by war. The poem’s simplicity enhances its emotional resonance, allowing the mother’s pain to emerge with raw clarity.
Connection to the Cyprus Poems Collection
As a work within the Cyprus Poems collection, “I Will Bake a Cake” contributes to the broader tapestry of Cypriot history and identity. It captures the human stories often overshadowed by political narratives, bringing to life the emotional realities of those who lived through the island’s turbulent history.
The poem’s exploration of themes such as hope, resilience, and loss resonate far beyond its immediate context, offering a powerful commentary on the universal impact of war. It serves as both a memorial and a call to reflect on the human cost of political strife, making it an essential piece within the Cyprus Poetry tradition.
Analysis of the Themes in the Poem
The poem explores a range of interwoven themes, each contributing to its emotional and intellectual depth.
War and Its Consequences: The central theme is the devastating impact of war on individuals and families. Through the mother’s perspective, the poem highlights the profound cost of conflict, particularly for those who remain behind to grieve.
Maternal Love and Sacrifice: The mother’s promise to bake a cake reflects her unwavering love and hope, even in the face of overwhelming despair. Her resilience and devotion underscore the emotional weight of her loss.
Time and Memory: The passage of forty years encapsulates the enduring nature of grief and the haunting persistence of memory. Time, rather than healing the wound, deepens its significance.
Hope and Disillusionment: The juxtaposition of the mother’s hopeful plans for her son’s return with the grim reality of his death underscores the fragile nature of hope in the face of war.
Analysis of the Verse
The poem’s free verse structure mirrors the unpredictable and chaotic nature of its subject matter.
Fluidity and Disruption: The lack of a fixed rhyme scheme or metre reflects the disarray wrought by war, echoing the fractured lives of those caught in its wake.
Repetition and Echoes: Phrases such as “My darling son” and the recurring imagery of the gun create a rhythm that reinforces the poem’s themes of inevitability and loss.
Concise Language: The poet employs concise, unembellished language, allowing the stark imagery to speak for itself and heighten the poem’s impact.
Analysis of the Symbolism
Symbolism enriches the poem, offering multiple layers of interpretation.
The Gun: A symbol of war’s omnipresence and the dangers faced by the young soldier, the gun also represents the heavy burden placed on the shoulders of the innocent.
The Cake: Beyond its literal meaning, the cake symbolises hope, reunion, and celebration, becoming an ironic counterpoint to the mother’s eventual grief.
The Coffin: The arrival of the coffin signifies the culmination of the mother’s long wait, embodying both closure and the unrelenting sorrow of loss.
Main Poetic Imagery
The poem’s imagery is vivid and evocative, drawing readers into its emotional landscape.
The Gun Across His Shoulder: This image captures the mother’s immediate fear and the weight of impending loss.
The Passing Decades: The stark line “Forty years have flown by” evokes the slow, agonising passage of time for those awaiting news of their missing loved ones.
The Coffin in the Truck: The image of the coffin rolling into the village conveys the finality of death and the collective grief of a community scarred by war.
Religious Symbolism Impact
Religious symbolism subtly enhances the poem’s emotional and thematic resonance.
The Fatted Calf: The promise to bake a cake evokes the biblical story, infusing the mother’s hope with a sense of spiritual yearning and redemption.
The Coffin’s Arrival: The coffin’s arrival can be seen as a form of judgment, a stark reminder of the moral and ethical costs of war.
Maternal Grief: The mother’s mourning echoes the image of Mary grieving for Christ, linking her personal loss to a universal narrative of sacrifice and love.
Comments