Rita Dove: Daystar

She wanted a little room for thinking: 
but she saw diapers steaming 
on the line,

A doll slumped behind the door.
So she lugged a chair behind
the garage to sit out the
children's naps

Sometimes there were things to watch--
the pinched armor of a vanished cricket,
a floating maple leaf.

Other days she stared until she
was assured when she closed
her eyes she'd only see her own
vivid blood.

She had an hour, at best,
before Liza appeared pouting from
the top of the stairs.

And just what was mother doing
out back with the field mice?
Why, building a palace.

Later that night when Thomas
rolled over and lurched into her,

She would open her eyes
and think of the place that was hers
for an hour--where she was nothing,
pure nothing, in the middle of the day 

Commentary

Every story or poem gives off a certain tone for the readers to catch. In this particular poem Daystar by Rita Dove, she uses her great way of words to present a sorrow, yet sympathetic feeling towards the main character. In the beginning by showing how a young women's dream of being alone is replaced by the position of becoming a mother.  "So she lugged a chair behind the garage’ (line 4), the mother obviously has had a long, hard day watching the kids, and probably has been cleaning as well. ‘She had an hour, at best, before Lisa appeared pouting from the top of the stairs’ (lines 1-1), this gives us the one time excitement shared with the mom that she, during her busy day, could have a relaxing and happy moment. But at the same time Dove takes this dream away pretty quick in order to give the readers a sense of reality. We as readers see that in reality the mother cannot enjoy this fantasy for long, for her daily chores call to her.  A good example of this would be where the mother chooses to set up her safe haven. ’She wanted a little room for thinking’ (line1). Here we get the feeling of her tired, lazy body sluggishly preparing her palace for the quick 10 minutes.  Dove also shows how even the simplest things could make up her peacefulness, "sometimes there were things to watch- the pinched armor of a vanished cricket, a floating maple leaf. Other days she stared until she was assured when she closed her eyes she’d see only her own vivid blood’ (lines 6-11). Here she uses a vivid use of words that provide the readers with the idea of how desperately she urged for this time away from her daily life.

 In the “Daystar” Dove gave us all as readers the sense of weakened endurance a house mother gets while living with everyday life and along with the chores that reality provides. The reader gathers this information, not only by the choice of words from Dove, but also by the phrases put together by the words. These makes up the diction, which in its own way helps the author, give off their plan of how to make the readers sympathize with the main character. The diction of the poem helps maintain the idea of the theme. On the basis of this analysis it is clear to me that Rita Dove is trying to say that mothers are unappreciated and overworked. In this characters own way she is a star. The character in this poem constantly gives to everyone around her, taking little time for herself. Much like all mothers around the world are.