Delmarva Review: Staging a Plantation Home by Susan Bucci Mockler

Author’s Note: This poem was inspired by the time I spent as a writer in residence at the Woodlawn Plantation in Alexandria, Virginia (sponsored by the The Inner Loop literary group in D.C.). While I was at Woodlawn, I learned that the enslaved quarters and much of the evidence of their work no longer existed. It made me think about how easily we accept the narratives we want and how these narratives are presented to us. 

Staging a Plantation Home

Start with curbside appeal: make it appear
majestic. Repaint doors and window frames,
shine up the wrought iron shutters, oil
creaking hinges. Lay down a path
of rounded pebbles, each carrying a story
from the river. Leave the smokehouse,
let its ghosts stir pots of broth, hang
rabbits from metal hooks in the rafters,
stoke the fire. Tear down the slave quarters—
their neglected, stressed timber crumbling
beneath their own weight. Tear down
any building that interrupts symmetry.
Place bowls of plastic fruit on the tables—
apples, pears with red blush, lone
pineapples. Hang birdcages with fake
doves in the music room. Is this the evidence
we need—to believe that someone had time
to think about fruit, a bird’s mourning song—
that these gestures could restore
what has been forsaken—the sweat
of those who built this house, torn
skin, callouses and blisters, faces
whose names have been forgotten
or never known?
Retain only the aseptic lore—
of opulence, Southern hospitality,
gilded staircases. Forget the lives, the bodies,
aaaaaathe truths erased
aaaaaaaaaain this landscape. 

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Susan Bucci Mockler teaches writing at Howard University, in Washington, D.C. Her poetry has been published in numerous literary journals included the Delmarva Review, Poet Lore, Gargoyle, the Maryland Literary Review, The Northern Virginia Review, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, peachvelvet, Maximum Tilt, Pilgrimage Press, Crab Orchard Review, The Cortland Review, Paterson Literary Review, Lunch Ticket, Voices in Italian Americana, and several anthologies. Her full-length poetry collection, Covenant (With), was published by Kelsay Books in 2022. 

The Delmarva Review is a national literary journal with strong local roots in the Delmarva region. The editors read thousands of submissions annually and select the most compelling new poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for publication. The review is available in paperback and digital editions from the major online booksellers and regional specialty bookstores. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, support comes from tax-deductible contributions and a grant from Talbot Arts with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council. Website: www.DelmarvaReview.org