Mama
I've got enough work
to fill three days,
but here I sit,
mooning over the photo book.
Mama, I wish you'd look up
from your prize houseplants and chat a bit.
Help me figure out how to go on --
my two big boys gone to war --
one on a ship, one in a cockpit --
my little girl suddenly a woman, and lovesick --
the youngest just trying to find his way,
figuring out where he fits in all this.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
"Green"
the prairie
in fall
so much brown
brown
browngold
goldbrown
gold
the prairie
in winter
so much
white
bluegray
whitebluegray
white
when i cannot bear
the monotone palettes
any longer
i plant
drag clay pot
from window
to window
following
weak winter sun
drip water
over dry dirt
and wait
to feel life
life spirit
green
brush
against
my fingertips.
(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016
I love how you are stringing all of these photographs together. I can't wait to see where this story is going.
ReplyDelete"Green"
the prairie
in fall
so much brown
brown
browngold
goldbrown
gold
the prairie
in winter
so much
white
bluegray
whitebluegray
white
when i cannot bear
the monotone palettes
any longer
i plant
drag clay pot
from window
to window
following
weak winter sun
drip water
over dry dirt
and wait
to feel life
life spirit
green
brush
against
my fingertips.
(C) Carol Wilcox, 2016
Oh, Carol! I love this with all my Eastern Colorado heart!! PERFECT!!!
DeleteThis is so beautiful, Carol. I especially like the wordplay (life/life spirit) and the "green/brush/against/my fingertips." wow.
DeleteMama wants to know
ReplyDeletewho was it who forgot
to water the plant
Mama wants to know
who was it who forgot
that poems get planted
in spring
and arrive
in early summer
full of bloom and ideas
but need watering
and wondering
and wandering to reach
their full potential
Mama wants to know
who was it who forgot
to write this morning.
--Kevin
Is the title of this poem "Confessional"?
DeleteI definitely know who forgot to plant their poems and write in the morning (says she who has been scratching the dirt, scrabbling words together every night around 9!)
DeleteI have definitely "forgotten" to water lately. Lovely (and indicting), Kevin!
DeleteMary Lee,
ReplyDeleteThis story continues to amaze me, this connection between a mother and a daughter. I can sense Mama's wish for more of a connection during these difficult, lonely times.