Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Can You Feel the Love?

The poetry stretch this week is to write a love poem without explicit words of love—no terms of adoration or endearment.

My son will be 8-years old in a few days, so he's been much on my mind lately. This is where my poem went.
Weekday Ritual

Early each morning
we walk up the hill
to the bus stop.
We wait.
He hops, puddle jumps,
can’t stand still.
We thumb wrestle.
As the lumbering yellow giant approaches
we are all formality—
no kisses
no hugs
no nicknames—
just a high five in which our hands
stay pressed together a mere second
longer than expected.

He bounds
up the steps,
down the aisle,
takes his seat—
sometimes alone,
sometimes next to a girl.
I wave, but can’t see him through the
tinted glass.

He heads to school,
I to work.
He does not see me,
but I see him everywhere—
in the words I write,
students I teach,
stories I tell.

At days end
I head home,
pull into the drive,
honk twice.
From inside I hear
him yell
“Mommy’s Home!”
and I melt.
So, is it a love poem? I don't know, but it feels like it. I'm going to keep writing and see what else spills out on paper this week.

12 comments:

  1. Tricia,
    Sons are great, aren't they? Mine are now 32 and 30, and they're still my best friends. Your poem reminded me of days gone by, days I will always miss.
    I'm working on one to post for Poetry Friday but not much time to work on it with teaching full time and taking 2 classes this semester.

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  2. I can feel it, Tricia. It's all those little things, rituals and words and stuff you share, that make up L-O-V-E.

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  3. OF COURSE, it's a love poem!

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  4. It IS!

    I love the high five that lasts an instant longer than it needs to.

    I'm going to try to write one today.

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  5. My son Adam is arriving today from Minneapolis, part of my 70th (gulp!) birthday celebration. And I am STILL that way with my two boys, though they are better about hugging and saying I love you now.

    Of course it's a L**E poem.

    Jane

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  6. This is so sweet. I love hearing about your relationship with your darling son.

    Your poem reminds me of how my 3 yo comes barreling out of his grandfather's car at the end of the day shouting "Mom! Mom? Mom!" as he runs up the steps. Since I am home on medical leave and there is some tension around my health I am afraid he is worried that I won't be there. His eagerness and joy at seeing me melts me just thinking about it.

    I am working on a different sort of love poem and might post it on Friday. I don't know if I can leave out ALL endearments, however. Maybe they'll be disguised...

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  7. This was hard, not because of leaving out the endearments--I'm not big on those, anyway! But just because it still came out a little greeting card for my taste. Oh well. A good exercise! Thanks!

    Before and After

    marble cliffs
    encased me
    crystalline, solid

    but you shattered the rock, and we
    fell together into the
    wild, translucent ocean

    sailing days on
    blue velvet waves
    of conversation and starfish constellations

    dancing through nights
    to the rhythm of tides
    to the music,
    the rush,
    the surge
    of the sea

    circling back to allow
    today to soften the shell
    of yesterday

    building fragile
    sand castles of the
    shores of tomorrow

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  8. Lovely! One of the sweetest love poems I've ever read - because it is so everyday!

    I've posted mine :) Just got to hunt down the host of poetry friday this week - ahh perfect timing - it just popped up in your sidebar :)

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  9. Great responses this week! I think you hit on a rich vein. Mine's up for Friday Poetry.

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  10. Me too: I Cannot

    Thanks for inspiring me, O Non-Romantic One! :)

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  11. It really is a great poem, I felt like I was there, and I know those wonderfull yet wondering thoughts of a mother.

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