I have always used poetry and creative writing to help me process my emotions. I think the beautiful thing about personal poetry is the fact that even though my audience might not understand the images and memories I describe, they can use this piece to reminisce on their own childhood experiences. Welcome to the stories of my beginning.
I am from the Sassy-Fras home,
A blanket of warm comfort.
Picture books with worn bindings
Rest casually.
Laurie Berkner songs echoe
Through floor moldings.
Spoonfuls of pastina and sour cream
Slide between pink lips
And into smiling mouths,
Mending melancholy days.
Cream cheese and jelly omelets
Melt for soft swallows.
Painted pottery stand proudly
Atop a wooden cabinet.
Christmas mugs of chubby Santas
And jolly reindeer
Hibernate underneath basement shelves.
I am from the yellers
And the repeaters;
Their enthusiasm
As contagious as a head cold.
An ancestor of
Worriers and fish toe women.
Pink and blue daisy shoes
Break or go missing,
And pastel jingle shells
Crunch under calloused heels.
A battle between a hand
And a cherry red watering can.
Then a defeat,
Causing seven black stitches.
I am from endless visits
To Greenport,
Endless hours
In Creations By Lisa,
And Doodles
At breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
I am from the top of the closet,
Cramped, cool, dark.