Smile (Symbol)
The speaker's "trademark slow lopsided smile" symbolizes the durable, lasting relationship between her and her brother. Elvis Presley was known to have a lopsided, crooked smile. This, therefore, becomes yet another bit of evidence of the similarities between the two twins in spite of their obvious differences. Moreover, while other moments in the poem stress similarities in terms of talent or else in terms of shared upbringing, this moment speaks to something seemingly more innate and unconscious. A smile is a basic form of emotional expression, so this shared mode of smiling represents the fundamental similarity between these siblings.
Rock and Roll (Motif)
Though the poem is narrated from the rarefied world of a convent, the motif of rock music, and specifically the music of Elvis Presley, is threaded throughout. Lyrics of Presley's are quoted repeatedly, not only in the epigraph but in the speaker's reference to "blue suede shoes" and "Heartbreak Hotel." The speaker references Graceland, Elvis Presley's home. On a somewhat less explicit level, she refers to moving her hips in a nod to the dance styles of rock n' roll performance. Moreover, words associated with the Southern roots of Elvis's music, like "y'all" and "lawdy," stud the poem.
