Through her poem “Accounting,” Natasha Trethewey teaches one to appreciate the mundane tasks that one has the opportunity to do with their loved one. The act of accounting was glorified in the poem using the actions of the female companion of the poet. The poet described her simple actions of “crowding the card table with coin banks…” with carefully analysed detail, making the reader consider it to as a significant action.
The poem also teaches one that the way one perceives a situation can affect the reality of that situation. One can see accounting as a tedious, time consuming necessity or as a tranquil pastime on a hot summer night. The poet describes the minute elements of spending time with someone during the process of accounting to portray it as a proper activity to be doing on a “[night] too warm for TV”.
The concluding line states that the “foundation” of their house is “packed solid” with jars of coins collected during their accounting sessions. This implies that the time the two spend accounting is intimate to them as it acts as a foundation for their relationship. This may also subliminally imply that the foundation of a home is on money.
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