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Monday, November 12, 2012

Another Goodbye and A Happy Birthday

Tuesday Slice of Life Posts are hosted by Stacey and Ruth at their Two Writing Teachers blog.  Please join us for a wonder-filled day of reading.  And thank you Ruth and Stacey for special Tuesdays!

     My daughter Sarah's birthday was yesterday, November 12th.  She is quite a special young woman--wife, mother, daughter, friend.  I am always proud of all the things she does, how she acts, what she says about life. I like her and I love her.  
     I am still working on a writing project of goodbye poems that tell stories I remember about my grandchildren and my children.  Here is number nine, dedicated to my daughter.





(9)
I remember
Amber, a first
true friend. 
This second grade-
all-arms-and-legs-year
when
you grew four inches,
you stopped
taking Snuff Bear
to school
and
I glimpsed the independence
you would obtain
as an adult.

You wrote
and wrote
about
cheetahs
and learned about  
first person.
This is the year
a teacher took time to
know you, and offered
A Wrinkle In Time.
And I saw
you would grow
with words
into someone
beautiful.

It was hard to say 
goodbye
to this year.

44 comments:

  1. Oh, Linda, what a beautiful poem. My youngest is in 2nd right now. It is a year of amazing growth.

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    1. Thanks Katherine. I love 2nd graders, & it's part of why I remember so vividly. This was a year of a wonderful teacher, too.

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  2. Your memories are so clear through these poems. I almost feel her long, bony arms hugging you this morning as she reads this.

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  3. This second grade-
    all-arms-and-legs-year
    Easy to see why it was hard to say goodbye to this particular year, Linda - they transition at this point in their lives don't they? You see the future person coming into focus just as the baby begins to blur. It's bittersweet...

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    1. Yes, I imagine we all know about 2nd graders-a big leap usually. Thank you!

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  4. I absolutely love how you are able to capture each age. Sweetness to my ears.

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    1. Thanks Michelle. I thought of you this past weekend. I kept both granddaughters (3 & 1). How do you get anything done? Anyway, it was much fun with all the silly things we did.

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  5. I'm all verklempt after reading this poem to your daughter. I love the idea of a good-bye poem to a particular age. What a wonderful way to tell stories of a child's youth.

    I wrote a letter to Isabelle when she turned one and have decided to write another one this year (she's almost two). I'm thinking of including a good-bye poem in it too. Thanks for giving me a mentor poem to work from as I set out to do this for her!

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    1. Thanks, Stacey. It's been a wonderful project to return to when I see a photo, or remember a certain time. I like your idea of letters, too. I looked up 'verklempt'. I know some Yiddish words, but that is new to me. Thank you!

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  6. Very sweet, Linda! I like Stacey's idea (and "verklempt"). I wrote cards to my kids when they turned one for them to open when they turn fifteen. I can't really remember what I said!

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    1. Thank you Tabatha. I never thought of the letters, which is such a good idea, except some things I wrote in their baby books. I did have students write to themselves, & then I send them on their high school graduation.

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  7. I absolutely love the idea of poems to share stories and say goodbye to different ages. I have enjoyed reading all that you have shared. I think I will try this out, too! I am feeling like Stacey...this would be a fantastic mentor poem for me to use. Thanks for sharing your beautiful words.

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    1. Thank you Robin-I hope you enjoy writing some as much as I have.

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  8. Simply beautiful. This is such a wonderful project you have started. They always make me so nostalgic for those years with my boys.

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    1. Hi Deb, thanks. It's a remember when, isn't it?

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  9. This poem captures reclaimed memories that dwell deep within you Linda. I could imagine you unpacking them in even more detail. Your poem arouses curiosity within the reader to want to know more.

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    1. Thank you Alan, you may be right, & some time it might be time to re-look. I can see some lines that might want a bit of -re-looking &/or adding.

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  10. My oldest is a second grader this year and I too have had glimpses of some of these characteristics that we seen to encounter in this phase. I can imagine I will not want to say goodbye to this year either. Your poem is a beautiful capture of your memory. (Number 9, wow! Always love the updates on this project).

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    1. Second grade is just its own special kind of group, isn't it, Betsy? Thank you for telling me about your son.

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  11. What a beautiful project to remember your loved ones! I admire the details. How do you remember these things? I need to pull out the photo albums to capture moments before they go away for good. I have 3 girls and I'm afraid I may remember a detail for the wrong daughter, such as, "No, she was the one who hated peas."

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    1. I think your line "no, she was the one who hated peas" should most definitely be in a poem about one of them, Margaret. Your memories are your own, you know! Thanks for making me smile!

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  12. Awesome, Linda. This poem makes me try to remember when Michelle was that age. So many years have passed and I can't recall those images. I'm working on her scrapbook and that is helping me remember, but how I wish I had written more down. Maybe I'll have to try a poem or two to put in the album. Thanks for sharing your project.

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    1. I have written some poems for some of the albums, but not all. That sounds like a terrific idea to add in Judy. Thank you! (and I'd love to hear what Michelle was like in 2nd grade!)

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  13. What a lovely gift, these poems will be. I'm glad I'm slicing now to help me remember these types of moments with my own children (5th and 3rd grade)

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    1. I think if we can pinpoint place, weather, time of year, friends, etc., the details will come, at least that is how it is for me. Pictures really help too!

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  14. These poems are so special. I may have said the same thing before, but it seems like in saying goodbye, you get to say hello,too. Hello to lovely memories that become even more cherished as you put them into words. And though our memories (meaning yours and your readers')are different, your writing stirs our memories and makes us (readers) want to try the goodbye poem, too.

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    1. You're right, and when I read some of these kinds of memoir poems, they spark my memories too. Thank you for the lovely comment.

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  15. I echo all the previous comments. You have such a talent crafting these poems! These will be treasures in your family.

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  16. Oh Linda what a beautiful poem - full of such poignant memories. What a loving tribute to your daughter.

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  17. Verklempt nothing, I am all out crying. There is something in your details, Linda. I was teary before I even got to the end. I am pretty sure I must be somewhere near your daughter's age. The familiarity of the milestones and your care in recounting them for her is just stunning. Happy Birthday to Sarah!

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    1. Thank you Christy. I appreciate your words. BTW-Sarah was born in 1975. Talk about serendipity, I was just reading & writing to you!

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  18. Hello Linda, I loved the poem, and the photograph. Your typeface in the comments is hard to read. I thought at first your daughter was born in 1995. I had to take off my glasses to see it was 1975. Maybe I need a new prescription :)

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    1. Thanks, Pamela. I'll see about changing the font. The numbers are a bit challenging.

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  19. Oh how beautiful! It is hard to say "goodbye"...but then a new year bring new memories...and so many more reasons why we love our children...

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    1. I know you're right, Lynn, but it's good to capture those moments in time, so fleeting too. Thanks

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  20. Look at all these responses to your wonderful post, my bud. What power there is in publishing to the world.
    I can chime in my applause to you as well,
    Bonnie

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  21. Love that last line! Some years are golden, and you put one of those into words.

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    1. Thanks, Violet. It is nice to capture some of them.

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  22. This beautiful poem has made my eyes water - simply because my daughter is ten - that awkward stage when she is growing into the woman that she would eventually become. And because I also see how deeply moved she is by words and their lyrical beauty - also a time when her teachers seem to finally 'see' her and her radiant take on life. I am sure that when I come back to this poem of yours several years from now, my eyes would begin to water again in remembrance.

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    1. Oh Myra, I'm so glad that you see some parallels. Perhaps we all do as we watch our children grow. There is a bit of this when they are adults, too. Thank you!

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