Iva
I never knew Great Uncle.
When I turn twenty and can manage
the money he left for me
I will thank him for his hard work,
his thrift, and his service in far away Russia in the Great War.
Then I'll not hesitate to leave.
A life on the farm
was Mother's "terrible mistake."
It is my dream.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
Wow! This one is haunting. "Terrible mistake" hurts my heart. The poor mother.
ReplyDelete"Homesick"
In late summer
Mother and I
ride the train East
heat rises off the tracks
making them dance and bend and blur
And our coach car
is stifling
almost unbearable
even so,
when we get to the dorms
Mother unpacks my trunk
and makes me don
my new winter coat
with the high fleece collar
along with the matching Cossack's hat
and fur-lined gloves
I tell her I look ridiculous
point out the white flowers
in the stone planter
on the patio
just behind me
protest that I am suffocating
but Mother insists on a picture
I will not go home again
until June
and we both know
we are in
for a long
cold
winter
(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016
Oh, those details you bring into this one. Just like a mother...so sad and so hard to say goodbye. Well caught. xx
DeleteWhat Amy said! WOW -- the details!!
DeleteWow. I love this thinking back and thanking back.
ReplyDeletexx
I remember that hat:
ReplyDeletethe one you gave to me
as a joke for my birthday
and then watched with surprise
as I tried it on, fit it perfect,
and then wore it everyday
as sort of clarion call
to the world that I would never
be tamed.
Kevin