External Structure --> "In the Park" by Gwen Harwood

"In the Park" can be found on pages 1031-1032 of the Norton.

This sonnet is a Petrarchan Sonnet, and follows the 8-6 form and the abba,abba cdecde rhyme scheme. This type of sonnet is usually used for the author to make one point in the first eight lines, and then illustrate it in the following six.
In the first eight lines, the lady is introduced as "out of date" and is tied down by her children. When "someone she loved once" passes by, she is not able to "feign indifference". This shows that she still cares for this man and loves him. The balloon that rises from his head not only represents what he is thinking, but also that Harwood sees him as an escape. She wishes to become involved with this man and leave her old life behind.
In the following six lines, Harwood illustrates the extent to which the woman feels trapped. After the man leaves, she sits "staring at her feet." This shows that she is embaressed of her life and regrets the decisions she made. Her comment to the wind shows the absolute dread the character feels towards her own life. The fact that her children have eaten her alive shows that she is done with her responsibilities. However, the only person she can tell is the wind and therefore is forced to keep her emotions inside.