Eriginal Flavor
Commentary
The sadness in this poem is palpable: no longer will we eat roast. No longer will we play chess. Hopkins, alienated from the bosom of her family, moves east with a heavy heart. Throughout her long and prolific life, Hopkins never once tasted roast or played a game of chess in the Vermont home where she spent her adult years. Her family would taunt her by writing her letters:
"NiNi, we're eating roast tonight. Afterwards, we have a nice chess game planned. Never come home, you dyke."
This understated poem is considered Hopkins' most moving work, often reducing audiences at readings to tears.