A mint-green cotton dress
With stains on the front
Where the goose knocked you down
And sat on your belly until Mama saved you
It was auntie’s wedding day
And now you were all dirty
And what would people say?
At 4, who gets dirty at 4?
Grandpa leaning down to your ear
Oh! He was a big, wonderful Irish man
Old Spice and pipe tobacco
Lifted his monstrous arm to the sky
He pointed to the soaring hawk
Except you think he said “hog”
With feathers and a screeching cry?
And since when do pigs fly?
White, cable-knit tights
Patent leather shoes
Sunday best, always in a pew
Then to Grandma’s for Sanka and Seven-up
Pink and tan and chocolate Keebler wafers
Sadness–no one ever picked the vanilla
At least not you
The stuffed animals in your bed
How you rotated their proximity to the center
So they could take turns sleeping next to you
You didn’t want anyone to be ignored
On the perimeter
To have hurt feelings
To get cold
You used to wake up in the middle of the night
Frost inside the windows and under
Your fingernails and on your lips
Smothered under a ton of blankets
And a red coat with smelly faux fur
Who wears a coat to bed?
You did
I saw it
I remember it
Like it was me
Inspired at 4 a.m. by a beautiful poem There Will Be Things You Do by Kim Dower
This is beautifully written Michelle! So, was this you?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awwww….thank you, Marissa. Yep-this was me. Thoughts sparked by a poem I read at 4 am and had to get it on paper.
You know how it is 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, the countless nights of not being able to go back to sleep until you get those words out. It was well worth it!
LikeLike
Worth it, indeed!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m really bummed my comment didn’t go through. I guess that’s what I get doing WP before I get out of bed. Maybe I dreamed my comment, or maybe I didn’t hit send.
Regardless, I LOVE this piece. It’s sweet and sad, and I picture a beautiful little girl with an angelic smile and sorrowful eyes. Very melancholy.
Layered, so many layers… Like cake, like Shrek onions, like sugar wafer cookies…
And still not wanting anyone to feel left out.
You are an absolute angel. Love you. xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello, love!
Thank you for taking the time to come back- I absolutely hate it when I lose a comment.
You are so good at “seeing” everything. This piece was so organic as it flowed from one memory to the next, using location and time as a bridge from one year to the next.
I didn’t even see the theme of not wanting to leave anybody out until after I hit publish. What’s that saying? “Can’t see the forest for the trees?”
YOU are the angel – some might say guardian angel;)
Love you! xoxoxo
LikeLike
Just love it. The photo brings back memories I had long, long since forgotten. You should write more poetry. The questions work so well here, and help carry your voice.
LikeLike
Thank you, Diana.
I don’t write much poetry, but when I do…it’s over here hiding.
Between your prompt of family and the poem linked below, the piece wrote itself.
Thanks for hopping over and indulging. xo
LikeLike
The goose, the Grandpa, the Sanka…great scene-setting with things to smell from dirt to faux fur. I would own this voice, since it is your own sweet signature. Maybe move from third-person to first. Make it personal as only you do:) I’m glad I landed here at your sweet poetry spot. Thanks
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww…thank you, Angie! What a great suggestion, too. In fact, it’s funny that I even wrote this in third person since almost everything I write is first person. Hmmm…maybe I DO need to own it 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to be over here. I don’t write poetry often, but when I do, it’s spontaneous and unpolished. I have a reference book from Mary Oliver (Rules of the dance?), but have done no actual learning or study of the form. Do you have a go-to reference, or do those beautiful words just flow naturally from your fingers? I’m soaking up lessons these days…
LikeLike
I read. I write. I borrow lines as starting points. I subscribe to the Poetry Foundation, Knopf Poem-a-Day and Poem-a-Day. I guess it’s my technique is submersion! Lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
Or just count me as the presumptuous goose!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Never! Ever! Wish I could spend an afternoon with you and just soak it up. I told Christy that I’m brainstorming a bit of a writers’ retreat with my favorites. Small, central, cheap…and capitalizing on the talents we each bring to the table….still forming an idea in my head…
LikeLiked by 1 person
A Midwest meeting?! Count me in
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s what I’m thinking. Hoping my east and west coast gals (LA and PA) will want to come, too. Christy is down south, so that wouldn’t be too bad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m already going to be back the first week of August:)
LikeLike