Locomotion

Lonnie’s foster mother, Miss Edna, is a compassionate woman who looks after those she loves. Although she initially seems tough, the text hints that her strict demeanor isn’t driven by meanness but by care. In “First,” Lonnie recounts moving in with her and how she used to always quiet him. However, he adds:

Now some days Miss Edna looks at me and says

You need to smile more, Lonnie.

You need to laugh sometimes

maybe make a little noise.

Where’s that boy I used to know

the one who couldn’t be quiet? (11).

As Miss Edna watches Lonnie become quieter and more withdrawn, she understands that it’s sadness, and she wishes for him to smile and laugh more, signs of happiness and contentment. She shows her care and concern in more than just words, however: She takes care of Lonnie when he’s sick on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths. After making him tea and taking off work to tend to him, she prays to God that his pain will lessen. Additionally, Miss Edna helps Lonnie when he visits his younger sister. Knowing that Lili’s adoptive mother isn’t fond of Lonnie, Miss Edna understands how important the visits are to him. Lonnie notes, “Miss Edna says you gotta / look presentable for Saturday visits so Miss Edna gave me twenty dollars / for the girl across the street to braid my hair” (45). The woman dispenses advice and money to help Lonnie put his best foot forward during the visit. These moments highlight how Miss Edna provides for Lonnie beyond simply giving him a house to live in and food to eat.

Miss Edna’s care for Lonnie goes beyond duty and general kindness; she loves the boy as her own. In “Sometimes Poem,” placed after the poem about Lonnie’s seeing the pigeons in a new light, he sees his relationship with Miss Edna in a new light too. Sometimes after she gets her paycheck, they get Twinkies together:

When I put the Twinkies on the counter, the checkout

    Lady says

I guess your son likes Twinkies, huh?

And Miss Edna looks at me sideways.

Then she smiles and says

Yeah, I guess he does (37).

When Miss Edna doesn’t correct the woman and when she smiles at Lonnie, she reveals the true scope of her love for the boy. Although he isn’t her biological son, they have a connection and a good relationship, and it feels as if they’re a family. Lonnie realizes that like the pigeons in the previous poem, Miss Edna has made a good home and that even if he didn’t see it at the start, she loves him.

Lonnie’s teacher, Ms. Marcus, is one of the few adults who encourages the boy. Immediately, in “Poem Book,” she tells him, “Good Lonnie, write that” (1). This simple push to get ideas on paper may not seem like much, but his reaction to her words proves otherwise. He says, “Not a whole lot of people be saying Good, Lonnie to me / so I write the string-of-smoke thing down real fast” (1-2). Because Lonnie doesn’t have a lot of support in his life, Ms. Marcus’s simple words inspire him to keep writing, a habit that ends up helping him through the grief of losing his parents. Later, when Lonnie suggests a poem title, Ms. Marcus responds:

You have a poet’s heart, Lonnie.

That’s what Ms. Marcus said to me.

I have a poet’s heart.

That’s good. A good thing to have.

And I’m the one who has it (87).

Her genuine compliments of Lonnie’s creativity mean a lot to him. For once, he’s attributing something good to himself. Her gentle encouragement over time instills confidence in Lonnie that helps him grow as a writer, work through his grief, and discover who he is.

Despite her encouragement and good intentions, Ms. Marcus struggles to fully understand and connect with her students. At times, she shows discomfort talking about race or socioeconomic status, which suggests that she’s white and doesn’t live in the same neighborhood as her students. Even though she doesn’t shy away from these conversations when they arise, Ms. Marcus doesn’t always know how to handle them well. For example, when she shares that Eric is hospitalized with sickle cell anemia, she also informs them, in a whisper, that the disease is prevalent among African Americans. This news stuns the class, and in her efforts to answer their questions, she overwhelms Lonnie. After a while, instead of hearing her words, all he can think is “Ms. Marcus says” repeatedly:

[Her] words circle

round the room, bounce off the walls

keep zooming

past my head.

Zip! Zap!

Like they’re banging against it (65).

The personification of her words as aggressive battering rams hitting both the walls and Lonnie’s head emphasizes how painful they are. Furthermore, Lonnie’s use of a series of short lines punctuates how the woman’s words feel like quick, agonizing jabs. Although trying to be transparent and informative, Ms. Marcus has frightened and hurt them, illustrating how good intentions don’t always land well.