I See Her Now and Then
submitted by Anne via comments
I see her now and then —
Curly haired blonde child
from behind the chair. . .peeking
Rebellious smoking teen child
from behind the gas station wall…watching
I see her now and then —
hope filled bride beauty
from behind the white veil…peering
Betrayed, young wife
from behind the kitchen window…staring
See her now and then—
designer of beautiful spaces
project managing divorcee
from behind the clipboard…seeing
Daughter of my heart —
beautiful soul ,bright mind,
life’s truest joy
I see her now and then. . .
Anne L (December 2006)
Anne that’s beautiful!
Thank you so much–you set the high bar!
I see her now and then also, in a couple of my dearest friends who are mature now and able to look backward unashamed and with gratitude. Content to be where they are, after it all, in the present.
I agree with Jean, Anne. That was beautiful.
Thank you. I am glad you could connect!
Anne, I have never posted here before, but I want to tell you how much your little poem about our fractured lives moved me. It’s beautiful, thought provoking and well crafted. Thank you.
Thank you for the lovely compliment! I am glad you enjoyed it!
Mothers and daughters. So much love, so many hopes and fears and misunderstandings. Excellent little poem, Anne.
That was well said too. We are in the middle of a little drama between daughter#1 and the Lovely Mrs. azlib (and frankly, myself as well) and it is funny how love and misunderstanding, trust and distrust, can all coexist in the same moment. We have an upcoming opportunity to clear things up on Saturday, and I hope for good results.
Anne, this line….
<i>”…Betrayed, young wife
from behind the kitchen window…staring…”</i>
…haunts me. Too many women (and not a few men) go through this. These betrayals are so, so damaging, both to those directly involved, as well as to the children who witness it.
I pray you three will remember to laugh at yourselves, I know it is hard to do in those moments. A little self effacing humor can help people get through that tightly locked gate! Sometimes, all there is to say out loud is, “I Love you and I just want to hold you in my arms.”
I have another poem that better explains what goes on between mother and older daughter, if you would like to see that one just tell DT to send you my email. Best Wishes!
Very much hope for you Azlib that things are resolved on Sunday.
Thank you! It just came, I had a hard time worrying about commas and finally just let it sit on the page as it seemed to want.
I think your poem was perfect.
About commas- there is a wonderful little book of grammar entitled: Eats Shoots and Leaves. The author, whose name I forget, dedicated the book to Bolshevik printers in St.Petersburg whom, it is said, triggered the Russian Revolution by going on strike because they wanted to be paid also for punctuation marks and not just per letter.
Oh yes! I remember that book–it was very encouraging. I am glad you enjoyed the poem!
“Let’s eat, Grandma.”
…vs…
“Let’s eat Grandma.”
Thanks for the reminder !! 🙂