The Colors of My Daughter's Room
I watched her walk under the arch,
Saint Louis in the spring,
That gateway to the West.
The sound of suitcase wheels
scraping concrete,
rolling away,
following tennis shoes.
Then at home there was a space.
The one I tried to fill by starting
fresh.
Roll up the posters.
Paint
Four
Silent
Walls
The colors of my daughter's room
Change with her absence
When I have hope
Of her return.
We share a past
One walked away
And someone stayed.
The tone I spoke
A sound that flashed!
Let go of longing the past
Undone.
Walk into now
With older eyes,
The child grown.
Pink curtains stay
Because I compromise
This new condition
Of my liberty.
I like it...I can feel it!
ReplyDeleteThank you Carla!
DeleteThis is beautiful! I must admit, it brought a little tear to my eye. I hope all is well with you. I am going to click on your fb badge below and send you a friend request. I hope that's okay! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Jenn! It's a happy surprise to read your comment here today~ and of course it's okay to friend request me, as you are in reality a true friend.
DeleteThis is so evocative, Jenny. You convey so well the moods: the angst, the hope, the renewal. I read it several times because I wanted to get the full effect of it, and it is packed with meaning.
ReplyDeleteYou are so adroit with your words and I love the journey this piece takes us on. I cannot, for the life of me, write poetry, and I so admire people like you who do it so well!
Hi Shelly, for years poetry was a mystery to me and I rarely attempted to write it. Like classical music, I was appreciative of the genre but too intimidated to try my own versions. In recent years I have turned to it more for comfort reading because it's short and meaningful. I have regularly used poetry for teaching writing to Elliot because of delayed development in spelling. Short pieces are manageable. If you ever feel like experimenting, I highly recommend For the Good of the Earth and Sun by Georgia Heard. Her ideas in that book helped me to think about trying to write my own poems. I love what she has to say.
DeleteWhat a wonderful poem, Jenny. Touching and so evocative. You really are such a beautiful writer. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane! Thank you for being such a constant, supportive friend. If it weren't for you and our blogging friends, I might have abandoned my writing long ago! When I wrote this one, I felt my heart lift a little, and gained peace.
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