Mothers Letter

When I saw this painting I was moved to write a poem about it. This is my revised version. Free Verse poetry.

 

 Mother's Letter

     Eyes are dry, now …

     where soft teardrops fell,

     lie faded pools of smeared purple ink.

     Reading her letter again,

     I held the coarse paper tightly 

     between delicate hands.

     The baby kicks, as if it knows,

     and I read on....

     Birth of your first born …

     so close to my heart,

     brings memories of you, my child,

     running wildly through fields of

     poppies and dandelions.

     Your hair, the colored hues

     in sun’s end of day.

     Alone, I lie here remembering …

     watching birds by the window.

     They beckoned me follow;

   “I am not ready to leave,”

     sighing in a whisper.

   “Bring me apples to peel;

     for, my hands are idle.”

     There is no one to hear,

     my mind wanders to you --

     the distance is great.

     As time disappears …

     your child grows,

     and as you watch the fields

     change from yellow to gold,

   "Think of me and remember,

     I have you in my heart … always.”

                            ~~~

    

                 

Author's Note

Any comments are appreciated.
Thank you for dropping by.
Lisa

Reviews

[Einstein Noodle]

oh my goodness ... this brings tears to my heart .. it is so sweetly sad .. wonderful tribute to not just your Ma but to all those who love with a very Divine gift of a Mother's love .. those who received and do receive it are blessed .. your poem inspires gratitude in me for my Ma ... thank you for sharing! really enjoy the imaging and it is super emotive ...
E.

[Lisasview]

Hi there,
I see you are the featured review, although you are the last to read my poem...so far..Must mean that the site likes your review..and so do I...
I loved your wonderful review..and I am so glad it inspired gratitude.. I am amazed that my poem had such an impact... and I am honoured..
Thank you for reading and reviewing my work'I appreciate it,
Lisa, getting last here in Spain

[Angelino]

A beautiful piece, Lisa. A poignant reminder of how quickly the circle of life turns, but our hearts remember and cherish the ones we lose.
Thank you
Andrea

[Vertigo Cat1111]

This is such a beautiful, breathtaking poem that’s just bursting at the seams with love. Every stanza is beaming with love and light. It’s full of goodness and and inspiring and bright. It’s emotional and brings tears to the eyes. You can absolutely feel the mother’s love, the nostalgia and the pure devotion to the child/children. I loved how you wrote this, it’s words that should be forever cherished. Such a gorgeous poem, thank you for sharing.

[Lisasview]

Hi Cat,
This was one of the very first poems I ever posted on here...and actually, until I posted it and my other poems I kept them in a drawer..No one ever read any of my work...So to have you say such lovely things about my words is fabulous and so appreciated.
What I love about your reviews that they are always an in-depth look into my writing which tells me you actually read my work. So many others say things like, nice work....but what does that tell me??
You are an angel to take the time to write such inspiring words...
Thank you again, Cat
Lisa, replying to reviews in Spain

[SM]

I think of my mom here... This is how she feels... My favourite lines are - "“Bring me apples to peel; for, my hands are idle.” There is no one to hear, my mind wanders to you -- the distance is great.

For me the distance is geographical/physical... although it could mean many other ( emotional, physical ...etc). A daughter's yearning to be with her mom is perfectly portrayed here.

[Lisasview]

What an angel you are for reading and reviewing my work... always means a lot to me!! I am about to post a new one... Calypso Strings
Lisa, waited until now yo get on my computer

[Stuart Munro]

Bring me Apples to peel for my hands are idle , great line
Superb poem tho sad , but most if life is

[Lisasview]

Wow, thank you Stuart for reading and reviewing my poem... I also liked that very line... seemed so fitting as it went right from my thoughts onto paper..
life can be so sad.. but ah well.. C'est La Vie"
We only hope to capture moments of delight and pleasure..
If you find the time I think you might like my most strange poem..loaded with metaphors.. Innocence..This is so very different from anything I have ever written..
Lisa, now in Spain..now friends..

[Tate Morgan]

The seasons of life Continue on. I love them all. But for all the great enjoy we have in life there comes the final payment Not sure any of us are ready for that

[Lisasview]

Thank you Tate for reviewing and your thoughts...
Hard to imagine never being here anymore.. none of us is ready for that...
Lisa, almost 7am in Spain... The sound of birds fill the air.

[Eilis]

Hi, Lisa. I’ve just read several of your poems. You visited my page some days back but I don’t have a lot of time to spend here these days so it can take me some time to repay visits. When I visit someone’s page, I like to read many poems and get a feel for the voice before I comment on any. I also like to take some time to understand the poet through the words. This is my way and partly why I’m slow to return comments. I have enjoyed my visit here this morning. Your poems are passionate and full of immediacy. They feel sincere and full of life. I enjoy the spirit of exploration I see between the words.

I like this poem knowing it was inspired by the painting. But there is a deeper connection I sense underneath that allows the sympathetic voice of the speaker and listener to shine through. Parenthood changes us monumentally. The love between mother and child is so different than other kinds of love we experience in life. As we grow into the roles of our lives, we do change, but the interesting thing about being a parent is that even as the child grows and we grow, the timeline of the shared life doesn’t fall back in the same way as life with a lover. We hold the child at all stages of life at once, I think, and learn how to love all the people we watch that child become. It is a journey and held close. Your poem does such a nice job showing that. The line about peeling apples and idle hands evoked so much for me, in particular. I went into the heart of the mother in the poem. I thought this was lovely work. Thank you for sharing.

[Lisasview]

Hi Ellis,
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my poems and reviewing this one in particular.
From reading my poems I am sure you found out quite bit about me... Some of my poems were written (with pencil and paper) when I was in my very early 20's ~ 1970. So there is definitely a journey depicted in my poems.. This was and is still the only time I used a painting to inspire my writing. I know many who write use music to inspire them...but I do not want to use words I hear from music... I always want to create my poems from my own thoughts... If you get what I mean. I haven't read much poetry (except of course here on WritersCafe) and I had absolutely no education in poetry writing...until recently, as Richard has been so kind in helping me...so all of this is very new to me.
I wrote what I felt and never shared any of my work with anyone until a couple of months ago...
This has been such a wonderful adventure...
You are so correct..I felt a deep connection to the painting..about a mother and daughter..
Wow, going into the heart of the mother by my words is amazing...What more could I ask for.
I wrote that line thinking of my dear mother... My favourite lines are...
Alone, I lie here remembering …
watching birds by the window.
They beckoned me follow;
“I am not ready to leave,”
sighing in a whisper.

“Bring me apples to peel;
for, my hands are idle.”
Thank you again Ellis...
Lisa, now in Spain

[Eilis]

It’s nice to meet you, Lisa. I also began here with my poetry several years ago and have grown so much as a poet through the interactions. It’s wonderful to have a supportive community. I’m glad you’ve found a place here and are enjoying the journey.

[Lisasview]

Hi back and thank you again..
The little image of a gal painting... what is that??
Lisa. living in Spain

[Eilis]

It is a painting of a woman hanging her laundry by Jeffery T Larson. Here is a link to his website if you’d like to see some of his paintings full size.

https://www.jeffreytlarson.com/media

[Lisasview]

Thank you, I appreciate you letting me know.
As a water colorist I found the tiny image interesting...Lisa

[redzone]

your poem is like warm sunshine on a Spring day.... such poetry evokes the feeling of love and wanting it to never end.... nicely penned Lisa

[Lisasview]

Wow, two reviews from you Redzone... how very delightful... and with such kind words...
I think you might enjoy Forevermore or the poem I just finished and posted a couple of minutes ago Canvas of Dreams.
Lisa, almost time for grilled Gambas

[Neville]

henceforth, and without any doubt whatsoever, this is now ranked up there as my most favourite Lisa, now at the computer working poems to date .. truly beautiful words & perfectly poemed ..

Neville, now thinking about either painting the back door, or going for a siesta :)

[Lisasview]

Wow, what a very kind thing to say Neville...your most favourite...really... makes me feel great!! I was just reading a response from you on your poem where you said you were looking at your daughters wedding photos... Are you multi tasking?
Lisa, working on her new poem

[Richard Knox]

What a tender, moving poem, Lisa. I recently came across a few letters my mom had written to me when I was in college. They were just chatty, newsy letters, but I could hear her voice so clearly in them, and I missed her terribly. Thank you for this lovely piece.

[Lisasview]

Hi Richard,
So happy to know you liked my poem... and that it brought back fond memories of your sweet mother... and glad you kept her letters!! Did you read my sonnet Hand~In~Hand...if not ... then I am thinking you might like it too.
Lisa, just finished dinner and now off to watch Ozark..

[Richard Knox]

Hi Lisa,
Thank you for the recommendation. I sought out your sonnet, Hand-In-Hand, and loved it, as you will see in my review.

[Lisasview]

You are so welcome Richard...
Lisa, early here in Spain

[prema]

The bond (love) between mother and daughter is beautifully expressed in your poem. Reminds me one of the poems I've written about my mother titled " Reminiscing mother"

[Lisasview]

Hi Prema,
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my poem..i am going now to read yours..
Lisa, now in Spain

[prema]

My poem was published in our community magazine where many know my mother. If you want to read I can post here in one of these days

[Lisasview]

Oh I thought you had posted it...Yes, since you say my poem reminded you of yours..
Lisa

[prema]

Mine is more like a tribute rather than a poem. I am reminded of my mother when i read your poem. Incidentally my mother's death aanniversary is on May 31st

[Lisasview]

Losing ones mother is so difficult.
Lisa