“Old Man” by Ricardo Sanchez and “For My Sister Molly Who in the Fifties” by Alice Walker are lyric poems. In both poems, there are similarities and differences with the theme and mood. In “Old Man” the theme is that legacies are remembered forever when stories are passed on. Sanchez writes, “old man,/ grandfather,/ wise with time/ running rivulets on face,/ deep, rich furrows,/ each one a legacy.” (lines 7-12) and “but your reality, old man, lives on/ in a mindsoul touched by you…” (lines 46-47). This emphasizes the theme because “reality” refers to the old man’s stories and that the speaker will remember the old man’s past stories and that the old man’s stories will be passed through generations. His spirit and heritage will live on as long
