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Up and down and up and down,
that’s how stocks work.
Up and down and up and down,
that’s how Dad works.
Then
stocks go
down and down and down and down—
that’s what’s happening now.
So
Dad’s emotions go
down and down and down and down—
and suddenly he is silent.
He is silent
like the stocks—
afraid.
And now I realize
I care about stocks.
Additional Resources
Author Interview
Summary & Analysis
Discussion Questions
Author Interview
What inspired you to write this piece?
When Covid 19 hit, I wasn't really worried about anything. I thought that it was far away, and wouldn't affect my life at all. However, it affected the stock market. My dad's work involves buying stocks. Because of Covid, a lot of people were scared to buy stocks and there were a lot of changes happening to the stock market. Everyone was stressed, especially my dad. I remember him having bags under his eyes, and he would barely have the energy to speak. I felt lonely, but more so sad that everyone was so worried. In the end, I felt inspired to write about how deeply my dad cares for his job, and I wanted to show him that I love him.
Can you share more about your creative process? How did you write this?
In the beginning, I knew that I was going to write this poem about myself: my worries, my fears, my loneliness. But later on, I was surprised by how the poem started being more and more about my dad. At first, I didn’t want to write about my dad in this way because I thought it would make me sound immature. But when I really started writing this poem, I realized that it’s okay to sound younger, to write in the voice of a child, or include another, less mature side of me in my writing. In conclusion, even though this poem turned out differently than I expected, it made me learn a lot more about trusting my instincts and I love the result.
What's your favorite single poem, short story, or piece of art? Why?
My favorite poem is “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. I remember the first time I read it, I didn’t think much of it until my teacher read it to me again, and I really started to think about its meaning. I love how McCrae gives off a “creepy” vibe by writing in the voices of the dead, but his language is also so beautiful. I love the rhythm and rhyming, which is something I have often tried to include in my poetry. And not only is this poem really sad and beautiful, but it has also changed my perspective of how I look at death.
What advice do you have for any young writers or artists hoping to be published in Stone Soup?
My advice is to trust your own writing style. Don't try to change your voice to get your work published because the most important part is that you keep true to your own style. If everyone wrote in one format and one tone, then writing would no longer be interesting. Just like how I embraced my childlike voice in my poem, don’t be afraid to write something that sounds “weird” or “strange.”
Summary & Analysis
“Dad’s Stocks” by Mia Xu, 11, is a short poem written in a single stanza. In it, the speaker observes her father’s relationship to his stocks and her own relationship to them, in turn.
The father’s mood mirrors the stocks, going “up and down and up and down” depending on their performance. Parents tend to watch the worth of stocks—the money given to a business in the hopes of receiving more money in return—because an investment could make them more (or less) wealthy. Some people consider stock investment a bit of a game. It can feel good to receive more money in return. However, it can also feel disheartening to see the worth of stocks go down because that means the investor is losing money. Investing can bring complicated feelings.
How does this poet choose words carefully?
In this poem, Xu uses repetition and rhythm to reflect the stock market fluctuations—the stocks going up and down.
Listen to the playful rhyme Xu uses when matching “down” and “now” in this segment:
Then
stocks go
down and down and down and down—
that’s what’s happening now.
This rhyming is considered slant rhyme, when words sound similar but don’t rhyme exactly. Slant rhyme matches Xu’s imperfect emotions in this case.
The speaker observes her father’s reaction to recent the stocks going “down and down and down”: “Dad’s emotions go / down and down and down and down.” He is losing money, and his mood is dropping. Finally, Xu writes: “He is silent / like the stocks—/ afraid.” Stocks are silent. They aren’t people with emotions, yet Xu draws a parallel between the quiet of stocks and the quiet of her father. The stocks aren’t afraid, but her father is.
Finally, in this reflective poem, Xu shares, “And now I realize / I care about stocks.” Although the speaker is learning about stocks and does not make investments herself, she realizes that she does “care” because of their effects on her father.
Discussion Questions
- What are some sound patterns and repetitions you hear in the poem that are interesting to the ears? Why do you think that poets use sound patterns?
- Can you think of a time when you, like Xu, have been sensitive to the emotions of a parent or loved one during their moments of silence?
