‘’I wish she could stay sure footed,’’ (22-23) expresses the narrator in “Poem for my Sister” by

Liz Lochhead, a line that portrays her hope for her sister’s safety. Liz Lochhead is a contemporary poet
and her free verse; narrative poem is told from the first-person point-of-view of a concerned sister who
wants to protect her younger sibling from the trials of coming of age. The poem consists of three
stanzas, composed of one sentence each. Lochhead explores the central theme of the protection of
innocence. Through her poetic choices, she highlights the idea that the desire to shield loved ones from
the dangers of life arise from having experienced difficulties oneself. The poet effectively conveys this
idea by employing metaphor, imagery, and sibilance in the poem.

To begin with, using imagery, Lochhead vividly depicts the image of a little girl admiring herself
in front of the mirror trying on “my shoes”. This already denotes the sister’s urge to become a grown up.
Furthermore, the fact that these are “high heels” and they “are hard to balance” is a metaphor
suggesting that the sister is not ready for adulthood yet, as she is not proficient at walking in high heels,
thereby “wobbles” and probably trips. The effect of the authorial choices is clear: the sister is not ready
to become an adult. After the poetess metaphorically imply the above concept regarding the
“unsuitable shoes” suggesting her own mistaken choices in life, she proceeds to add another metaphor,
but this time implying childhood: the games hopscotch and peever. It is noted the sister is “competent”
at these games, alluding to the fact that one should concentrate on what one can do well at a certain
age, and not try and grow up too fast. This is emphasized by the lexical field of diction of “hops” and
“skips” which are words generally used for children, and the fact that she “never oversteps the line”
accentuates this notion.

Despite the fact that she does not wish her sister to grow up faster than she should, she is also
attempting to warn her about repeating her own mistakes which was highlighted by the poet using
metaphors.

Moreover, “Poem for my Sister” utilizes the literary device sibilance in order to envisage the
reader the theme of protection of innocence.

In closing, Lochhead’s poetic choices successfully portray the idea that life experience can
motivate the older generation to protect and shield their loved ones from the dangers of life. By
employing the powerful symbol of high-heeled shoes as an emblem of womanhood, she effectively
conveys the idea of the need to ‘walk in someone’s shoes’ to truly understand their experiences.
Likewise, Lochhead’s potent use of vivid visual and kinesthetic imagery portray childhood games like
hopscotch, conveying the innocence and playful nature of youth. Lastly, the use of enjambment
throughout the entire poem creates a sense of continuation, subtly implying that there is an
imperceptible, yet very important line between childhood and adulthood. This pivotal time in a young
person’s life might ultimately lead loved ones to ensure the people they care about stay ‘sure footed’ as
they come of age.