Reminiscing

I have been extremely involved in my arts Co-op business issues lately and haven't had the big chunks of time I need to settle into creating art. I am going to try to set aside at least two hours every day to do nothing but CREATE. Probably I'll have to choose a regular time slot, but for right now it's just getting that 2 hours in somewhere.

What I HAVE had is smaller bits of time that have led me to reminisce. I've gone through some old photographs and had a great time thinking about the good old days. I've also thought a lot lately about my parents, who are gone now. I still miss them, even after 12 years. My mother and I had a very intense relationship, but time has mellowed out the worst of it. I think about the friends she left behind and then, one by one, their spouses passing. They all seem like such strong women in my mind, and I wonder if I have that fiber in my soul.

Anyway, I wrote this poem for them:

WIDOWS

Strong women
deeply lined
with names like
Marjorie
Doris
Myrtle
Ruth

Strong women
selfless
caring for
the grandchildren
teenagers
aging parents
dying husbands

Strong women
keepers of the
christening gowns
smudged report cards
Great Grandmother’s china
sepia poses
bloodlines
family secrets

Strong women
caring for each other now
with their own pains and cancers

Fine, strong women
who are
just fine
really –
thank you, dear