Sunday, May 14, 2017

MOTHER'S DAY/ The Sunday Whirl #299 -- Sunday's Whirligig #111 -- Poets United Poets Pantry

MOTHER’S DAY

mother’s day               a day of love and honor          the red finch sang

a delightful song          yesterday                                for my mom

a hopeful song              just outside my door              it took my breath away

i have told you before         about my mom                told you how she loved poetry



balanced                     her love of family                   home, work & church            

a tiny woman              the baby of her family            she has joined the ancestors

a great family reunion                picnic on the ground           the sign read

on hand painted board                the drums silent                   a bouquet on her resting place                     

her eyes a blue-gray                    on that day she died                the sky the same



after her death                             a cold wind                             blew in

touching our hearts                     leaving them                           stone cold

it was december                   the monarch butterflies           with their orange wings

 feeding on the last blossoms       of her loquat tree      it was the last leg of the journey

on their way home to mexico       when they left            my mother went with them



time passes so quickly          it seems like yesterday           we were together

hearts broken                         sharing the loss                      today i hardly know you

need an interpreter                to translate your words           bitter/brittle

fall to the ground                   leaking venom                        each uttered

as if to kill                              the sound of fingernails          scratch the blackboard

                                   

i cover my ears                       pick up the brush                    begin a new painting

dip my brush into the color orange    in memory of my mom          draw lines

like pathways to the after world          surrounded by butterflies   symbols of transformation

May 14, 2017                         

                                                                       



                                   

                                                                                   



                           









13 comments:

Jae Rose said...

What a glorious tribute - butterflies really are something to treasure as is being absorbed in your art work

Sherry Blue Sky said...

"Surrounded by butterflies / symbols of transformation." What a wonderful mother you had, Annell. This is a beautiful poem. I like, when you are remembering that other person, who changed, that you pour yourself into your work. That is the best antidote. I love the butterflies in this poem.

Gillena Cox said...

Luv the orange paint and the butterflies. A wonderful way to bring memories alive.

Happy Mother's Day Annell and thanks for dropping by my Sunday Standard today

Much love...

C.C. said...

Oh this....."dip my brush into the color orange in memory of my mom draw lines

like pathways to the after world" gave me goosebumps. It's such emotionally compelling writing and the idea is one that resonates so well with anyone who has lost a loved one and wished desperately for a way to find a path to them across that nasty barrier of Death.

Thotpurge said...

Like the way you are reaching out through orange pathways..finding that connection.

brudberg said...

I love how you tied that orange color from that time to your painting... the best possibility for Mother's day.

indybev said...

What a lovely Mother's Day tribute. I love the thought "the Monarchs left and mother went with them."

Sanaa Rizvi said...

I love the orange paint and the butterflies.. sigh.. beautifully executed.

Anonymous said...

In the last photo taken of my Mom, she is wearing orange. Thank you for this tribute,

Elizabeth

ZQ said...

Incredible patchwork style of wonderfully weaved, as we go up and down side ways and back again poetry. I will continue to support your creative, and original style.
ZQ

Wendy Bourke said...

Loved this. The last stanza, especially beautiful ... the act of painting: such an eloquent expression of capturing ~something~

Old Egg said...

What heart breaking sadness there is in your words painting a different picture as we read on. However we are each ourselves and our lives must be ours to own, so your brush tells your story so well.

Myrna R. said...

This is such a lovely tribute to your Mother. The grief still lingers but you show your acceptance and remembrance with your words and your brush. Beautiful.

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