Keeping Orchids (SQA National 5 English): Revision Note

Below is a guide to Jackie Kay’s poem ‘Keeping Orchids’ in preparation for the SQA National 5 English exam. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of Kay’s techniques and methods

• Understanding the poem: an exploration of the themes and ideas within Kay’s poem

• Linking the poems: an understanding of how ‘Keeping Orchids’ connects to Kay’s other prescribed poems for the Scottish text section

Overview

In order to answer questions on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• An overview of the poem

• A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Jackie Kay’s intention and message

'Keeping Orchids' overview

'Keeping Orchids', written by the poet Jackie Kay, explores the fractured relationship between an adult child (presumably a daughter) and an absent mother. During their first meeting, the speaker received orchids from their mother. As the speaker attempts to keep the flowers alive, they try to remember details of the meeting so as to cling on to the fragile relationship. The mother-daughter meeting is awkward, compounded by secrets and emotional distance. 

'Keeping Orchids' translation 

Lines 1-2

Translation

• The poem begins describing orchids the speaker received twelve days earlier

• The speaker connects the orchids with a first meeting with their mother

Kay’s intention

• The poet uses the orchids as a symbol: the flowers represent the significant moment when the adult child meets their mother for the first time:

  • The phrase “when we first met” raises a question about why an adult child has just met their mother for the first time, creating a suspenseful tone 

• The speaker observes that the orchids are still alive “twelve days later”, implying this connection is still clear in their mind

Lines 3-4

Translation

• The speaker suggests the closed buds hold secrets

• The speaker describes carrying the orchids home in a protective manner
  

Kay’s intention

• Kay uses enjambment across the stanzas (“Although/some”) to create a reflective voice

• Although the orchids are alive, the buds are still closed:

  • The simile, “as secrets”, continues the suspenseful tone, alerting readers to a conflict in the relationship between mother and child

• A sense that the orchids are important and, thus, the meeting was significant, is created by the second simile:

  • Kay compares the orchids to “a baby in a shawl”, raising the theme of motherhood

Line 5-6

Translation

• The speaker relates how they carried the orchids from the station where their mother lives to the station closest to their home

• They relate how the “carafe” which holds the orchids has “crashed” or fallen twice since she brought them home
  

Kay’s Intention

• A caesura in the first line conveys an unstable voice:

  • The description of a “glass carafe” connotes to fragility, perhaps suggesting the relationship between mother and child is similarly fragile

• The onomatopoeia of “crashed” highlights the delicate nature of the orchids and, thus, the sense that the relationship between mother and child is conflicted

Lines 7-8

Translation

• The speaker describes how the “carafe” of orchids spilled water all over their furniture and that it was an “unprovoked” accident

• They describe this as “broken waters” to emphasise the spillage

Kay’s intention 

• Kay’s description of the accident reinforces the idea of a damaged relationship: there was no need for the “carafe” to fall, yet it did

• The short sentence and caesura highlight the metaphor of “broken waters”, which connotes to childbirth, signifying the broken bond between mother and child

• The word “rearranged” implies the speaker wishes to fix this broken bond 

Lines 9-10

Translation

• The speaker has "rearranged" the orchids, but her hands were trembling

• They mention that the buds have still not opened

Kay’s intention

• Personification of “upset” orchids works alongside “troubled hands” to imply the speaker’s distress as they try to rearrange the orchids:

  • Kay hints at the difficult and upsetting relationship 

• The image of closed buds returns to the idea that there are “secrets” held within the orchids and, also, between the mother and child

Lines 11-12

Translation

• The closed buds are compared to closed eyes in the “dark”, as well as a shut lid on a container

• The speaker explains that the mother handing over the orchids is all they can really remember of the meeting

Kay’s intention

• Kay’s similes connote to the unknown: the orchid buds are “shut” and “closed”: 

  • The speaker is in the “dark”: they do not know enough about their mother

• Kay describes a continued distance between mother and child after their first meeting, a distance the speaker wishes to close (“my mother’s hands are all I have”)

Lines 13-14

Translation

• The speaker struggles to remember the sound of her mother’s voice

• They remember how their mother’s words seemed to echo in their mind on the way home

Kay’s intention

• Kay’s short sentence conveys a sense of panic as the speaker tries to remember her mother’s voice

• The metaphor of a voice rushing “through a tunnel” connotes to an echo, as if the speaker heard the mother’s words on the train, but they were vague and far away

Lines 15-16

Translation

• The speaker tries to remember their mother’s clothing at their first meeting

Kay’s intention

• Kay emphasises the child’s need to relive the moment “exactly”, signifying the importance of memories:

  • The speaker remembers a list of small details in an attempt to close the gap in the relationship

Lines 17-19

Translation

• The speaker describes a watch their mother wore: it was a watch that belonged to a daughter who died

• The orchids, it is implied, are getting older:

  • The memory they hold, though vague and fading, proves that they met

Kay’s intention

• Kay refers to another child, adding morbid details to the memory of their mother:

  • The memory brings sadness, implied by the metaphor “hang their heads”, perhaps connoting to a funeral

• The orchids begin to show signs of the dying of their relationship:

  • Kay highlights how the speaker needs proof that the meeting took place

Lines 20-22

Translation

• The speaker notes that their mother was tense and “awkward” when they met:

  • The mother kept fidgeting with a “carrier bag” as she spoke about her life

• The mother’s words were limited, making it difficult to connect with her:

  • Kay presents a mother who is holding back, perhaps out of guilt

Kay’s intention

• Kay highlights key details of the meeting to signify its importance to the speaker:

  • However, the conversation was stilted and there was little affection

  • The caesura between “Compressed” and “Airtight” creates tension

• The mother’s discomfort presents her as inhibited and guilt-ridden:

  • The barriers between the mother and child remain, despite their meeting

  • The “story of her life” is an unknown, presenting a detached relationship

Lines 23-24

Translation

• The speaker describes the mother’s fidgeting with the bag, folding it into a square and then crumpling it

• The bag held sentimental items, some photographs and letters:

  • These items relate the mother’s life while she was away from her daughter 

Kay’s intention

• Kay’s detailed description of the bag and the broken lines with caesurae and dashes connote to an awkward conversation

• The words “hidden” and “secret” emphasise the barriers between the pair:

  • The metaphorical “bag of tricks” implies suspicion and deceit 
    

Lines 25-27

Translation

• The speaker describes the door opening and closing, which makes the room cold

• The speaker wants to stay inside where it is warm, away from memories of the past

Kay’s intention

• Kay uses a metaphor to connote to a door to the past:

  • This describes the mother-child relationship beginning and ending

• The memories make the speaker feel cold:

  • Allowing her mother into her life has caused distress: the speaker is reminded of the cold and distant relationship and the mother’s absence in their life

Lines 28-29

Translation

• The speaker returns to caring for the orchids

• She explains that flowers live longer if you use “boiling water” and cut the stems

Kay’s intention

• Kay’s description of a “sharp knife” and “Boiling water” connotes to the speaker’s anger at having been reminded of their mother’s absence in their life

• The idea of keeping the orchids alive implies the child’s desire to have a relationship with their mother:

  • However, the reference to “boiling water” and a “sharp knife” suggests feelings of bitterness

  • The relationship between mother and child is being kept alive, but it brings pain

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections — form, structure and language — it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme and includes Jackie Kay’s intentions behind her choices in terms of:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

Jackie Kay’s poem ‘Keeping Orchids’ takes the form of a first person reflection. It allows an insight into the adult child’s feelings about meeting their absent mother for the first time. 

Structure

The poem’s fifteen stanzas are made up of couplets until the last stanza, which is an isolated line. This creates a detached and disturbed voice. 

Language

Jackie Kay uses vivid imagery to portray the significance of the meeting between the speaker and their mother. The speaker’s desire to hold on to memories emphasises the broken bond and the speaker’s sense of isolation.

Understanding the poem

For the SQA National 5 English exam, it’s important to show a clear and thoughtful understanding of the poem’s themes and main ideas, as well as how the poet’s techniques and intentions help to convey meaning. This section focuses on two main themes that Kay examines in 'Keeping Orchids':

• Nostalgia 

• Relationships

• Isolation 

Nostalgia

• The poem 'Keeping Orchids' raises themes of nostalgia by focusing on the speaker’s longing to retain the fading memory of the important meeting with their mother:

  • The speaker notes that "Twelve days later, my mother’s hands are all I have", emphasising how quickly the physical presence has become a vague memory

• The mother’s voice is "fading fast," rushing "through a tunnel the other way from home", connoting to the speaker’s difficulty retaining the memory 

• The speaker attempts to anchor the memory reciting specific details associated with the meeting: "a paisley pattern scarf, a brooch, a navy coat"

• The orchids themselves function as a tangible piece of the past, linking the present reality to the moment of their first meeting

• The memory of the mother folding and unfolding a “green carrier bag” focuses on the small, awkward movements of the encounter

Relationships

• The poem represents family relationships through a depiction of a new, complex, and emotionally charged bond between an adult child and their birth mother:

  • The painful relationship is represented by the orchids: “I have rearranged/the upset orchids with troubled hands”

• The poem focuses on the aftermath of the initial meeting between the speaker and her mother, emphasising newness and fragility: “like a baby in a shawl”

• Despite the meeting, the relationship is detached: “Even after/that the closed ones did not open out”:

  • The orchids fall, and “broken waters” spill

  • This connotes to childbirth, and that the mother/child bond has been broken

Isolation

• Despite the meeting, the mother/child relationship is defined by distance and secrets: 

  • There is an element of mystery surrounding the family

  • There are secrets, “albums” and an additional daughter who has died, all of which hinder intimacy in the relationship

  • This creates barriers and isolates the mother and child

• The mother’s cold response and feelings of guilt are illustrated by the awkward physical contact: her hands are described as "awkward and hard to hold":

  • This leads to a relationship that is potentially dying, like the orchids: “Now they hang their heads,/and suddenly grow old”

• The speaker describes catching "the draught in my winter room":

  • The "winter room" suggests a cold, desolate setting 

• The reference to "Airlocks keep the cold air out" might suggest the speaker is trying to create a controlled, insulated environment to protect herself:

  • She remains isolated in her memory and grief

Linking the poems

Most students who study Jackie Kay’s poetry for the SQA National 5 exam use it to answer the Scottish text section. However, you can choose to write your critical essay on Kay’s poetry.

If you choose Jackie Kay for the Scottish text section, you’ll need to demonstrate a broader understanding of her poetry in the final question, as required by the SQA. This means referring to ideas, themes, or techniques from at least one of her other poems.

The six prescribed poems by Jackie Kay are:

• 'Gap Year'

• ‘Keeping Orchids’

• ‘Whilst Leila Sleeps’

• ‘Grandpa’s Soup’

• ‘Darling’

• ‘Maw Broon Visits a Therapist’

The final question will likely concentrate on an aspect of content, such as theme or characters in the poems, or on a technique, such as use of imagery or contrast.

Below are some useful comparisons between the six prescribed poems.

Sources

Koval, Ramona, and Jackie Kay. “Jackie Kay - Poet.” Scottish Poetry Library. (opens in a new tab)Accessed 9 December 2025.