Hi, Susan—
I like this poem a lot. It reminds me of your poem, “Self-Made,” which also presents a character sketch of an intelligent and misunderstood woman. I failed to realize at first reading that “Self-Made” was a self-portrait, so I wondered if this one was, too. I don’t think it is.
What interested me most was wondering why she rarely talks about herself. I like the title “Unspoken” better than “Woman of Mystery” because it directs the reader’s attention to the key issue. I laid out the puzzle pieces you provided and tried to put them together into a coherent whole.
First, she is accomplished in the traditionally feminine skills of baking, gardening, bridge, and child care. Second, she is accomplished also at traditionally masculine skills like athletics and driving. She seems introverted, (“rarely talk[ing] about herself,” “self-effacing”), but enjoys tennis and bridge, which are social and competitive activities. Third, she has a love of beauty, both the natural beauty of her garden and the artistic beauty of classical music. So why does she seem to want to hide the intelligence shown by her many talents and “near photographic” memory?
Theory 1: She is more interested in listening than in broadcasting. She has no need to impress others and is highly selective in choosing close friends with whom to share herself.
Theory 2: She has Impostor Syndrome. She is insecure in spite of her demonstrated competence and stays quiet because she fears that her supposed fraud will be exposed.
Theory 3: She enjoys her own company. She is naturally introverted, and uses silence to signal to others that she needs time to herself. This is perceived by others as a mysterious quality, coded in the poem by references to the moon.
The second mystery in the poem is the precise relationship between the speaker and the subject. The speaker knows the seemingly distant subject well enough to know her skills, driving habits, and how she spends her evenings at the piano. If I had to guess, I would venture that the subject is a member of the speaker’s family, possibly her mother.
Glenn
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