cleaning out
my mom’s things.
I knew it would happen
I just didn’t know
when or how.
She died last summer
and I hadn’t been
able to really mourn.
My heart was bound
in chains and I hadn’t
found the key.
Until I discover
her well-worn
crossword dictionary.
Inside the front cover
are pieces and pieces
and pieces and pieces
of paper containing
obscure definitions
and meanings
written in my mom’s
neat penmanship
straight across
the pages. My mom
who was so embarrassed
because she never
even graduated from
high school, who
always thought
she wasn’t smart, who
completed the crossword
every single day
and recorded the words
she learned, who was
smarter than anyone
else I knew. I stand
in the cellar marveling
at this pearl
of a mother and wipe
my teardrops
from her precious words.
11 comments:
Linda,
I am so moved by this poem, how lovely it is and what a great tribute to your mother! I will definitely be back to read more and to view your photos.
Thank you for your visit to my blog and for your kind remarks.
touching !
I hope your tears become part of the words in the diary.. and years later you will be able to say,
" Oh, these are not broken words...these are my tears i shed seeing my mom reflecting in these words.."
I picked the theme of this comment from a Hindi poem I wrote many years ago.. tears and words..reminded me of that and I thought it would be befitting..
I loved your tribute for your mother.. God Bless!!! And you honoured the prompt proposed by me.. and I am happy that it drew you out to create this poem..
Lovely, heartfelt words.
Absolutely beautiful!!!!!! What a wonderful tribute to your fantastic Mom.
Very moving in a personal way for me today. Beautiful.
WoW! Beautifully written and a fitting tribute to a very smart mom.
Thanks for sharing.
Deeply touching.
a tribute to your mother, very fitting Linda. she was a terrific person, I feel through your words! thank u for sharing!
Moving and beautifully done. You structure your poems so well.
Linda - you have no idea how much you touched me with this posting. I too have lost my mother and your words resonated with me so deeply. Thank you for sharing!
Lisa
InspiredbyLisa
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