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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Children Grow Up-and Change-Another Goodbye

Hurrah, it's Poetry Friday.  You can find all 
the good poets and words about poetry with Diane at Random Noodling.  Thanks Diane!

 I’ve been creating poems for a personal project that speaks of different ways of looking at children (mine, others, and grandchildren, too) growing up.  It is a series of poems at different stages in a life, essentially saying goodbye each time.  I hope to put them together in a book with pictures of my grandchildren (now 10 ½, 3, and almost 9 months) and children at the particular stage I am describing in the poem.  Part of this comes from my talks with my daughter, about pregnancy, the children growing and changing so fast.  Another part is that I love telling stories through poetry, and I love poems of goodbye, so I thought this would be a good way to combine both passions.  Go to a link to find the four previous poems:  here, here, here and here. This is poem number five.


(5)

Today, I watched you roll the hula hoop
all across the park, whooping at
your prowess.  It was going
and going,
like the years behind you,
away and around and away!
We used to stand ten feet apart
and I would say, Put your hands out,
Ready? then I’d pitch the ball.

Now, you throw the football,
spiraling straight to the target, me,
a real football that demands 
I wear my garden gloves. 
You catch it every time,

without me asking, Ready?
You still tell
me what’s going on
with friends
and enemies. 
You say, What do you think, Grandma?

I think the years
behind you, every one
leave me joy-filled,
seeing the pictures in my mind
of times we’ve spent
together.
There was Candyland and Old Maid,
on to Ruckus and Trash,
now long games of Monopoly
where I still try not to win
every time. 

I’ve already won,
because I have you.










And-Remember to check on the Poetry Tag Group shown at the right!  And find Jama Rattigan's blog post at Jama's Alphabet Soup  to discover so many Poetry sites in the kidlitosphere doing wonderful things!  Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining Mary Lee, at A Year of Reading in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, and Donna at Mainely Write.  Plus Greg Pincus of Gotta Book has just published his first E-book, The Late Bird.  Now he's celebrating by giving one, or more, away.  See the blog that tells all about it  here




30 comments:

  1. Another perfect addition! Tears again . . . (wipe, wipe). Love how you connected with what's important in your grandson's life -- sports, friends, games. And then the last lines: I still try not to win every time. I've already won, because I have you.

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    1. Thank you Michelle. He is a special young man!

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  2. The best part is that you share thoughts/conversations about friends and foes,and he values your opinion--what a great relationship to endear in many ways. I love your project.

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    1. He has moved away now, so I hope we can keep that closeness in other ways. He's spending time with me this summer-more adventures! Thanks, Tam.

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  3. That spinning hoop, the quick passage of time, the tossing of balls back and forth, the conversations shared -- all wonderful ways to describe your unique relationship with him. Very touching poem, Linda -- and I'm a little jealous, since neither of my grandmothers ever played Candyland or Monopoly with me :).

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    1. I just gave Candyland to my granddaughter for her birthday; time to start again! I am a game player so maybe that's what drives it too? Thanks for the response, Jama.

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  4. Great last verse, Linda! Thanks for sharing your series.

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    1. Thank you Diane, & I'm happy to share. It's a pleasure to be doing.

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  5. I think the years
    behind you, every one
    leave me joy-filled,

    my favorite line, because when I think of my grandkids, these are the words. Thank you for sharing you love of your grandkids with us. These are so special....

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    1. Deb, I'm not surprised you know what I mean. We are blessed, aren't we? Thanks!

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  6. This is going to be a fantastic collection, Linda. Lovely words that all grandparents can relate to.

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    1. Thank you, Donna, & you can see these stages all along the way, too!

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  7. Linda, your poems perfectly capture my own experiences as a parent. Thank you for sharing them.

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    1. How great is that for you to see similar growing up stages. It is lovely to see the changes, isn't it?

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  8. May this continue

    "without me asking, Ready?
    You still tell
    me what’s going on
    with friends
    and enemies.
    You say, What do you think, Grandma?"

    What a blessing.

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    1. Oh, thank you Kristi. I hope so too. I certainly counted on my grandmothers all through my growing up!

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  9. Ooh, I think this one is my favorite so far! I love the way you showed the progression from simpler games (hula hoop, CandyLand) to more complex games (football, Monopoly). So neat! The last lines are so powerful and full of love -- awesome! :-)

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    1. Thanks, Jennifer. He is growing up! (Plus I love Monopoly, so fun to have a new game player!)

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  10. I think I have already said this, but it can't be said too often: This is such a treasure. Your words, your time, your commitment, your pure love and dedication; a treasure. You really got me with this one, I was welling up before the third stanza! Good job.

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    1. Betsy, thank you. I am enjoying the doing of it, too, which really means a double gift!

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  11. I love how specific this is -- for this one unique grandchild. Such a gift.

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    1. Thank you Ruth for the observation. It is certainly for him. It will interesting to see what I might write for the three year old when she's ten or eleven.

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  12. What a fabulous project. Your kids and grandkids will have such a treasure, not to speak of all the other kids and grandkids (and moms and grandmas) that will read.

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  13. Love that ending. It's like a sigh.

    Sorry I haven't been around this week to comment on your daily poems. I'll try to catch up when I'm sitting in the airport in Denver! Home again, home again, jiggity jog tomorrow! (all's well with mom, sorry I missed you, but hey, guess what? I missed everyone else, too -- why did I think that things would go as planned/on schedule at a HOSPITAL?!?!)

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    1. It's okay, Mary Lee. I actually remembered about your mother & just hoped all was okay. I'm glad she's okay. Sorry you missed everyone-what a bum deal for you! Next time?

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  14. Hi Linda, your poems always tug at the corners of my heart. Your grandson looks gorgeous. The last two lines are priceless. :)

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    1. Myra, thank you always for your kind words. I appreciate them very much. (He is very cute!)

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  15. Linda,
    Somehow I stumbled back upon this today. Reading it after dropping our youngest off at college made me smile.

    I'm thankful for this:
    "I think the years
    behind you, every one
    leave me joy-filled,'

    …and the possibilities ahead make me smile.

    Cathy

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