Sadie and Maud

This poem emphasizes sound with rhythm and rhyme, which is what most of us normally associate with poetry, especially from our years of experience with nursery rhymes. It starts out reminding me of everyone’s favorite, “This little piggy went to market/this little piggy stayed home. . .” It makes for easy reading, yet understanding the meaning of the poem takes more thought and delving into the written word. It boils down to that Maud led the proper, dull life, while Sadie led the fun and frivolous, short life. It might be somewhat parallel to the fictional short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. Connie would be considered like Sadie, very carefree and living life for the moment, and her older sister, June, would be a lot like Maud, always doing the boring, but “right” thing.
Lauri Beier