Jack Yesner Week 3- What Happened Was: my mother was pregnant with me" by Anna Leahy

 In the poem “What Happened Was: my mother was pregnant with me”, poet Anna Leahy provides a glimpse into her and her mother’s life experiences. The poem begins upon the realization that Leahy’s mother was pregnant with her while still in college. Her mother struggled with this as she was discouraged from continuing education, yet she persisted. Against all odds, her mother flourished, graduating and becoming a lawyer while simultaneously raising her child.

Leahy uses the unconventional rhetorical device of repetition to delve into her life. Every single line of the poem begins with the words “what happened was”. This technique elevates the poem to a higher meaning because it evokes a sense of realism. As if the poet was conversing with the reader, she lists facts in an informal matter. She is blunt, and does not sugarcoat the truth. The reader then understands that these events truly occurred, and can empathize with her and her mother’s experiences. Additionally, phrasing the poem this way makes it more easily understood as it is broken up into small sentences with common vocabulary.

Leahy’s message in this poem is particularly impactful as she constantly shifts tones from gloomy to optimistic. This illustrates that even under the most hopeless of circumstances achieving a successful life outcome is possible. Leahy underscores this by saying that because of her mother’s experiences she “grew up believing in fairness and chance”. Although her mother faced seemingly insurmountable odds, she made life fair for herself by persevering. One can extrapolate that wallowing in the face of difficulty is not the solution to one’s challenges, rather carving a new path will define a greater legacy.

What happened was my mother was pregnant with me

she mapped a way through without stopping

 

What happened was the dean thought she would stop

the dean wanted her to go away, he expected her to go away

the dean said that she might fall down the stairs

the dean made his secretary call to tell my mother this

he would not tell her himself

she was not worth his time

she was expected to lose her way in this world

 

What happened was my mother finished a semester late

she wore a graduation robe with three velvet stripes on each sleeve

she held my months-old self for a photo, proof this could be done

she missed that year’s bar exam

she passed the bar exam the next year, a year late

 

What happened was my mother told me that life wasn’t fair

my mother wrote fairness into the law for me

 

What happened was my mother told me that other children needed her as much as I did

my mother had her own white phone on the wall for their emergencies

 

What happened was my mother knew she didn’t have chances others did

my mother knew that she had chances others didn’t

 

What happened was I grew up believing in fairness and chance