To a Daughter Leaving Home

Linda Pastan’s poems often depict narratives of familial relationships in day-to-day circumstances, as seen here in “To a Daughter Leaving Home”. Chronological time doesn’t inhibit connections in her works; Pastan’s ancestors can be as present as her immediate family, and memories like the vignette in this poem are as full of sensory detail as a present-tense narrative. In Pastan’s world, familial bonds cross time and space, and relatives of all kinds provide a lens through which the self can be viewed. In this poem, the speaker experiences a vicarious thrill in her daughter’s freedom, but also a hint of mortality in the realization that her support is no longer needed. The poem itself and its message, addressed directly to the daughter, represent the speaker’s relinquishing of at least part of her parental role. In using her own immediate and distant family members as subjects for poetry, Pastan does not aim to create autobiographical works; rather, the topic becomes family itself, the arc of relationships, the significance of generational wisdom and heritage, the support and care given out of love and duty. Like Pastan’s domestic settings, the frequent topic of family in her work provides a universal connection to readers.