Thanks for chiming in Rebecca. For some reason channeling my mother is new for me. Maybe it has something to do with getting older and not holding back. It is a little shocking for me though as I've always been soft spoken and non-opinionated (if that's a word!)
Thanks JJ, to tell you the truth, it smacked me upside the head when I realized what I had written. In my mind I had nothing in common with my mother and then the likeness of the gloves and the covering up was so obvious when I read it out loud. Amazing stuff this writing life. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I love your poem… I relate to long sleeve swimsuits. I love solitude. I am an introvert who appears as an extrovert.
I have inherited many things from my mother.. some good, some not so good. The line: “Sorry, I must be channeling my mother,” made me laugh. What a brilliant and elegant way to get out of it!
I wish I could go to camp with you and the WITD word adventurers. Xox
Me too Coco, it would be fabulous to meet IRL I keep thinking we will someday and of course that's why I'm going to camp. I'm going to run out of time. And I feel healthy right now, well, I do have a bum knee, doc said, that knee is shot. So I'll get a shot before I go and hopefully all will be fine. So at least we get to write together and I love that. So glad you're here--I cherish your friendship and how you are my champion.
Thanks Heidi, that last line is from hanging around with Jeannine, you know--the white space--like will the reader get it? And yes, they do. So great to hear from you. I knew you'd get it. Thanks for the feedback.
You're right Jan, they're a powerful influence even when we think not. I was truly gobsmacked that the white gloves and the long-sleeve swimshirt were the same thing!
Boy, did this one tweak my emotions! Your poem is spot on, and thank you! Recently, I was standing in line in a restaurant to pay for the meal. I saw, in the security camera, a woman standing there with her back to me--white hair, same stance as my mother, same style of coat, and I thought, "Wow! She looks just like Mom!" Then I realized I was looking at myself! What a shock!! I see so much of my mother in myself now that I'm older. And I also am thankful that I have her strength, hutzpah, patience, and my own opinions. As I struggle to find the right words, I remember how we, as teenagers, and my dad, would make fun of her struggles to find the right words at the dinner table--an awful thing, to have teenagers during menopause!! Is this karma??! I am humbled, ashamed, and reach out to her spirit in apologies. Yet, I feel her unwavering love always. I hope to be as courageous and joyful as she was in her elder years. I must be--I am her daughter and I owe it to her and to my own daughters, and most of all, to myself. Thank you, Pat! You always point the way to the deep parts of ourselves. So grateful!
Wow, I guess I did hit you with this one Nancy! I actually had a different post planned and then when I was writing a couple days ago and the Mom stuff popped up, it was just too good not to share. Love your last line most of all--I've been struggling with this question: What feelings do readers experience through my writing? Well, you just gave me one of the answers and what an answer. If I can point the way to the deeper parts of ourselves for even one reader, I'm a success. YAY! Thanks as always for your feedback, Much love
Hi! Wow, your poem inspires me! Thanks! I'm my mothers daughter from the biting tongue to the throat clearly to dispensing hard-won wisdom. I need a long-sleeve swim shirt! Congratulations on going to summer camp with Jeannine!
Thanks Maureen, happy to inspire you--I was inspired by Diane Seuss' poem which Jeannine used in one of our WITD prompts. Amazing what a prompt can do, right? Oh, and I get my swimshirts on Amazon!
Thanks Trish. Yesterday, I started working through that prompt in the doctor's office waiting room, something I always do alone. It hadn't occurred to me that it was a thing for me until now. xo
Yup. Too often I hear my mom’s words coming out of my mouth.
Thanks for chiming in Rebecca. For some reason channeling my mother is new for me. Maybe it has something to do with getting older and not holding back. It is a little shocking for me though as I've always been soft spoken and non-opinionated (if that's a word!)
Love your poem and brief essay.
Since I consider us friends, easy to talk and listen with, you surprised me by saying you are shy.
But it doesn’t surprise me that you think you have the same propensities as your mom. I think that’s a given with most women.
Maria
Thanks for your feedback and your support Maria. I hope you have a great summer. Let me know how you're doing on L.I.
Here’s to long sleeves, gloves, and carrying on some of our mothers’ traditions whether we like it or not. Love your poem Trish!
Thanks JJ, to tell you the truth, it smacked me upside the head when I realized what I had written. In my mind I had nothing in common with my mother and then the likeness of the gloves and the covering up was so obvious when I read it out loud. Amazing stuff this writing life. Thanks for reading and commenting.
I love your poem… I relate to long sleeve swimsuits. I love solitude. I am an introvert who appears as an extrovert.
I have inherited many things from my mother.. some good, some not so good. The line: “Sorry, I must be channeling my mother,” made me laugh. What a brilliant and elegant way to get out of it!
I wish I could go to camp with you and the WITD word adventurers. Xox
Me too Coco, it would be fabulous to meet IRL I keep thinking we will someday and of course that's why I'm going to camp. I'm going to run out of time. And I feel healthy right now, well, I do have a bum knee, doc said, that knee is shot. So I'll get a shot before I go and hopefully all will be fine. So at least we get to write together and I love that. So glad you're here--I cherish your friendship and how you are my champion.
I adore you..
Absolutely mutual!
That last line! Wow!
Thanks Heidi, that last line is from hanging around with Jeannine, you know--the white space--like will the reader get it? And yes, they do. So great to hear from you. I knew you'd get it. Thanks for the feedback.
It's perfect!
Our mothers never truly leave us, do they?
You're right Jan, they're a powerful influence even when we think not. I was truly gobsmacked that the white gloves and the long-sleeve swimshirt were the same thing!
Boy, did this one tweak my emotions! Your poem is spot on, and thank you! Recently, I was standing in line in a restaurant to pay for the meal. I saw, in the security camera, a woman standing there with her back to me--white hair, same stance as my mother, same style of coat, and I thought, "Wow! She looks just like Mom!" Then I realized I was looking at myself! What a shock!! I see so much of my mother in myself now that I'm older. And I also am thankful that I have her strength, hutzpah, patience, and my own opinions. As I struggle to find the right words, I remember how we, as teenagers, and my dad, would make fun of her struggles to find the right words at the dinner table--an awful thing, to have teenagers during menopause!! Is this karma??! I am humbled, ashamed, and reach out to her spirit in apologies. Yet, I feel her unwavering love always. I hope to be as courageous and joyful as she was in her elder years. I must be--I am her daughter and I owe it to her and to my own daughters, and most of all, to myself. Thank you, Pat! You always point the way to the deep parts of ourselves. So grateful!
Wow, I guess I did hit you with this one Nancy! I actually had a different post planned and then when I was writing a couple days ago and the Mom stuff popped up, it was just too good not to share. Love your last line most of all--I've been struggling with this question: What feelings do readers experience through my writing? Well, you just gave me one of the answers and what an answer. If I can point the way to the deeper parts of ourselves for even one reader, I'm a success. YAY! Thanks as always for your feedback, Much love
Hi! Wow, your poem inspires me! Thanks! I'm my mothers daughter from the biting tongue to the throat clearly to dispensing hard-won wisdom. I need a long-sleeve swim shirt! Congratulations on going to summer camp with Jeannine!
Thanks Maureen, happy to inspire you--I was inspired by Diane Seuss' poem which Jeannine used in one of our WITD prompts. Amazing what a prompt can do, right? Oh, and I get my swimshirts on Amazon!
Thanks Trish. Yesterday, I started working through that prompt in the doctor's office waiting room, something I always do alone. It hadn't occurred to me that it was a thing for me until now. xo
So cool when that happens, I swear I find magic in Jeannine’s WITD
The end of this piece illustrates that self-awareness and a sense of humour can go a long way!😆
Thank you for reading and commenting. I'm grateful, Trish