I trace them
clear back to Jamestown—
forebears
of the grandfather
I knew little about
—Simply Haiku, Winter 2009, Vol. 7, No. 4
somewhere
among mountain wildflowers
like these
the grandfather I never met
both lived and died
—Modern English Tanka, Vol. 1, No. 1, Autumn 2006
Of course, these aren't "mountain wildflowers" (or, specifically, Colorado wildflowers) pictured above. The photo is one of a thinning summer field of blanketflower (that is, I think!) beside a winery not quite an hour's drive from us. Blanketflower, I've found, pop up "everywhere" around here, including along the ditches where we live.
About the grandfather, my father's father: there's an interesting story or two related to my father's discovery of his whereabouts and death.
sharing with Poets United, 7/21
About the grandfather, my father's father: there's an interesting story or two related to my father's discovery of his whereabouts and death.
sharing with Poets United, 7/21
two very tender pieces - that work beautifully together. I love the intertwining of wild flowers and those who have passed - the impermanence yet abiding nature of life.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your comment, Wendy - thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe coriopsis in your photo doesn't look at all like the plant we have growing in our garden. The flowers are coming all from one plant, shrub-like and have yellow petals attached to a dark center.
ReplyDeleteI like the two tanka about your grandfather.
Adelaide
Thanks, Adelaide. I think I was having a senior moment. I'm relatively sure the flowers are blanketflower, and I'm not sure why I suddenly thought they were coreopsis. (I did try growing blanketflower from seed and wasn't successful, though they're apparently supposed to be easy to grow.) So, I've corrected my post! Hopefully someone will let me know if I'm still wrong! ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/wildseed/20/20.5.html
Beautiful! I had one grandfather I barely knew, and one I never met. A lot of us reach a point in our lives where we want to know about our ancestors, love how you compare this need to "mountain wildflowers".
ReplyDeleteYour poems make me long for the story of that grandfather. Beautiful!
ReplyDeletedef a story in each of these...particularly like the second...interesting to think on our lineage...all my grands but one was dead by the time i was ten...my moms side by the time i was 5...only vague rememberences of them...
ReplyDeletethanks, lisa, sherry, brian!
ReplyDeleteI never met my grandparents so this struck a chord. Family history is always fascinating.
ReplyDeletethanks for stopping by, TALON. I see that quite a few others can relate to not meeting or knowing their grandparents.
ReplyDeleteI love the ease and flow of your verse--and you are right--there is a story in each of these--really lovely Janet
ReplyDeleteJanet, These make a good pair, but I like the first one better because it is an idea I've been working on. A few lines from a poem still in draft:
ReplyDelete. . .linking a chain
to enclose those newly lost, as if we could hug their
shadows by reaching past them.
You've said it so concisely. May I use this first poem in a blog post of my own on "freethoughtandmetaphor"? With full credit of course.
Ellen Young
Thanks, Audrey!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ellen - and, yes, sure! I look forward to reading your entire poem sometime.