Alice Walker wrote "Poem at Thirty-Nine" to capture the profound transition from young adulthood to middle age. The speaker reflects on her childhood and the relationship she had with her father in order to gain a deeper understanding of the woman she is today. The various fragments of the speaker's memory come together to create a portrait of a woman who was empowered and emboldened by her father's positive influence, which allowed her to become a successful writer and rise above her humble origins. The poem was first published in a 1983 issue of Ms. Magazine, and later included in Walker's collection titled "Horses Make a Landscape Look More Beautiful."

• Read the full text of “Poem at Thirty-Nine”

• “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Summary

• “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Themes

  • 

    The Bond Between Parents and Children

    Where this theme appears in the poem:

    • Lines 1-45

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Poem at Thirty-Nine”

  • Lines 1-5

    How I miss ...
    ... born.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 6-11

    Writing deposit slips ...
    ... it is done.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 12-19

    I learned to ...
    ... account.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 20-26

    He taught me ...
    ... before the end.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 27-33

    How I miss ...
    ... of good food.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 34-40

    Now I look ...
    ... strays my way.

    

    

    

    

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  • Lines 41-45

    He would have ...
    ... into the fire.

    

    

    

    

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• “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Symbols

  • 

    Food and Cooking

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 28-30: “He cooked like a person / dancing / in a yoga meditation”
    • Lines 31-33: “and craved the voluptuous / sharing / of good food.”
    • Line 34: “Now I look and cook just like him:”
    • Lines 36-37: “tossing this and that / into the pot;”
    • Lines 38-40: “seasoning none of my life / the same way twice; happy to feed / whoever strays my way.”
    • Line 44: “cooking”
  • 

    Fire and Chopping Wood

    Where this symbol appears in the poem:

    • Lines 44-45: “chopping wood, / staring into the fire.”

• “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

  • Asyndeton

    

    

    

    

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    Where asyndeton appears in the poem:

    • Lines 35-40: “my brain light; / tossing this and that / into the pot; / seasoning none of my life / the same way twice; happy to feed / whoever strays my way.”
    • Lines 44-45: “cooking, writing, chopping wood, / staring into the fire.”

  • Simile

    

    

    

    

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    Where simile appears in the poem:

    • Lines 28-30: “He cooked like a person / dancing / in a yoga meditation”
    • Line 34: “Now I look and cook just like him:”

  • Extended Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where extended metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 34-40: “Now I look and cook just like him: / my brain light; / tossing this and that / into the pot; / seasoning none of my life / the same way twice; happy to feed / whoever strays my way.”

  • Repetition

    

    

    

    

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    Where repetition appears in the poem:

    • Line 1: “How I miss my father.”
    • Line 21: “truth”
    • Line 24: “truths”
    • Line 27: “How I miss my father!”

  • Metaphor

    

    

    

    

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    Where metaphor appears in the poem:

    • Lines 13-15: “bits of paper / as a way / to escape”
    • Line 35: “my brain light;”
    • Lines 38-39: “seasoning none of my life / the same way twice”

  • Enjambment

    

    

    

    

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    Where enjambment appears in the poem:

    • Lines 2-3: “been / so”
    • Lines 3-4: “tired / when”
    • Lines 4-5: “was / born”
    • Lines 6-7: “checks / I”
    • Lines 12-13: “see / bits”
    • Lines 14-15: “way / to”
    • Lines 15-16: “escape / the”
    • Lines 16-17: “knew / and”
    • Lines 17-18: “school / had”
    • Lines 18-19: “savings / account”

  • Assonance

    

    

    

    

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    Where assonance appears in the poem:

    • Line 13: “paper”
    • Line 15: “escape”
    • Line 22: “mean”
    • Line 23: “beating”
    • Line 25: “grieved”
    • Line 34: “look,” “cook”
    • Line 38: “my life”
    • Line 39: “same way twice”
    • Line 40: “strays,” “way”

• “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Vocabulary

  Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

  • Deposit slip
  • Escape
  • Grieved
  • Meditation
  • Yoga
  • Voluptuous
  • Seasoning
  • Strays
  • (Location in poem: Line 6: “Writing deposit slips and checks”)

• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Poem at Thirty-Nine”

  • Form

  • Meter

  • Rhyme Scheme

• “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Speaker

• “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Setting

• Literary and Historical Context of “Poem at Thirty-Nine”

• More “Poem at Thirty-Nine” Resources

  • External Resources

    • From Poor Childhood to Pulitzer Prize — This article provides an overview of Alice Walker's success in the literary world as well as a discussion of her personal life.

    • Alice Walker in Ms. Magazine — A 2011 birthday tribute from the feminist publication, featuring links to Walker's stories and short speech by Gloria Steinem.

    • Biography of Alice Walker — A discussion of Walker's life and literary career, including her relationship with her father and the impact of his death.

    • The Poem Out Loud — Listen to a reading and analysis of the poem, delivered by an English instructor.

    • An Interview With Alice Walker — Alice Walker discusses her life, work, and activism.

  • LitCharts on Other Poems by Alice Walker

    • Women

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