Bookmark and Share

Monday, April 21, 2014

Day 20 of April Poem A Day!!


This is very late, because we were in the ER with my husband who has pneumonia again. If you are keeping count this is the sixth time!!! It came on him almost overnight as he was trying to get stronger at rehab. Please pray that he gets 100% better this time!!!!

Today's prompt was about families and it was very hard for me to write it:


April 20, 2014
Prompt: Write a poem about family


Family Circle

I began with my mother and father
their joy in me made me feel 
special and I thought this feeling
would last forever then on came
my brother with his insistence on
being heard and taking all the 
attention away from me, but
I was a dignified nine year old
and eager for the opportunity
to find my own independence
so I enjoyed the non attention
of my parents until the day 
when Hal appeared and 
my parents became 
background noise as my
world expanded in new
directions and spread from
coast to coast with Hal at
the center
my center until Rachel with 
her soft baby ways enveloped
both of us with the cloak of
parenthood and suddenly
I was a mother and though
I still had my mother she 
became my refuge and
safe touchstone as I 
navigated the rocky waters
of a new parent and just
when I thought I knew
the terrain along came
Sara and knocked me 
off my course
Now there were four of
us and suddenly I was
at the helm of my own
family steering through 
the chaos of the various
ages along the way losing
my touchstone and having
to struggle without her support
to keep us afloat
Trying to absorb all the 
horror and the joy as my family
veered toward the rocky shoreline
and ran aground at times
And Hal who had been stalwart
and strong throughout became
the one we needed to tend to and
worry about 
the one who needed extra care
who became weak and wispy 
disease becoming his best friend
Yet we rallied round him making
a circle of ourselves.
copyright 2014 by Barbara Ehrentreu


Until the next time, I again thank whoever tweeted about the poems on this blog!! Thank you to all my loyal followers. You are the best!! Thank you to any new people who have happened upon this blog. You are all welcome!!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Visit the Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms!
Visit the National Gallery of Writing
Shop Indie Bookstores

VisualDNAShops

BlogCatalog

Discover Writing