This is so lovely, every detail so perfect in telling me exactly what/who you are from, and with all of that, still so very much belonging to yourself. Beautiful.
This beautifully embodies that paradox that we are all things and no things...yet somehow distinct from the everything so we can see what's sacred. Your words brought me there today. Thank you.
Just lovely, Jeannine. I know those overflowing ashtrays well. Your poem will rattle around inside me for a while. So much truth and beauty. I love the hats. I did one of these with Allison Shelton on her podcast last year. It may be time to write another one!
I am from the east, north, south, and west. So my roots have been my family.Especially my mother. I don't know if Substack will preserve the formatting. There should be three stanzas, one a sonnet and the second and third stanzas start with "I tried so hard" and "Light filters green forgiveness", respectively. This was definitely writing in the dark, which is why I post it here.
And I love this from the first sentence on — the details are so telling! Overflowing ashtrays and store bought cereals! I’m going to try this myself TODAY!!
Beautiful. Ripe with the complexity of being human — this allows one the capacity to meet the stranger with compassion and the chance to love our imperfect self. Thank you for being that mentor. Really beautiful. 💙
I love this, Jeannine, thank you! It reminds me of a section in Demi Moore's memoir towards the end [I think] where she filled pages with sentences that began "I got here because..." I used that as a prompt and it was eye-opening.
This is beautiful and a great idea for a piece. I imagine the surprise when some things that have been submerged re-emerge, when the deep rises to the surface, when the old archaic trails deliver new meaning.
I love this! Love, love, love. Synchronicity, as I’m reading mine Tuesday on Alyson Shelton’s Instagram WHERE I’M FROM feature where she features a poem and author in a short interview. You should do it! I can’t wait to share mine on Substack after she runs it!
This is so beautiful and evocative, and like others have noted, a master class on showing rather than telling. As my anxieties about the election and where we are headed are getting harder to tamp down, I appreciate the way it reminds me of our commonalities, even if we live in far distant parts (literal and metaphorical) of our country. There are so many details about where you are from that are like those of where I am from, way up in the northwest corner.
This is so lovely, every detail so perfect in telling me exactly what/who you are from, and with all of that, still so very much belonging to yourself. Beautiful.
Thank you so much, Amy. That means a lot to me!
Just gorgeous. Tender and evocative ❤
Thank you so much, Vicki!
This beautifully embodies that paradox that we are all things and no things...yet somehow distinct from the everything so we can see what's sacred. Your words brought me there today. Thank you.
Thank you, Nicole. ❤️
Just lovely, Jeannine. I know those overflowing ashtrays well. Your poem will rattle around inside me for a while. So much truth and beauty. I love the hats. I did one of these with Allison Shelton on her podcast last year. It may be time to write another one!
Thank you so much, Vanessa. ❤️
I am from the east, north, south, and west. So my roots have been my family.Especially my mother. I don't know if Substack will preserve the formatting. There should be three stanzas, one a sonnet and the second and third stanzas start with "I tried so hard" and "Light filters green forgiveness", respectively. This was definitely writing in the dark, which is why I post it here.
What Changes
My dog’s wet nose entreats my absent mind
Return! He knows my doleful mood.
A gray bird sings an elegy outside.
She died, no Verdi or Pucchini, just raw truth.
We gave red roses which she couldn’t see.
No ceremony, we both forgot the tune.
I could not bear to watch her leave.
Her smoke rose black against the moon,
her ashes in a box wrapped up by grief.
I tried so hard to be a different mom.
Yet my portrait of my motherhood
Upended to reveal my mother’s face.
Unwitting I had wounded with my wounds.
Light filters green forgiveness now. I doze.
My loving mother waits in the next room.
I wake, remember she is gone. Suppose
The dream is right? We’ll love each other soon.
The bear of these I’ve ever read. That last line! You pull all the unique differences into who you are and how you got there.
Excise the typo. It is the best!
Thank you so much, Sally ❤️
And I love this from the first sentence on — the details are so telling! Overflowing ashtrays and store bought cereals! I’m going to try this myself TODAY!!
Yes! You should try it! I posted the link to the George Ella Lyons poem and exercise from which I adapted this earlier in this comment thread ❤️
Beautiful. Ripe with the complexity of being human — this allows one the capacity to meet the stranger with compassion and the chance to love our imperfect self. Thank you for being that mentor. Really beautiful. 💙
Thank you so much ❤️
Beautifully done. I’ve always found George Ella Lyon’s piece powerful. This is, too.
I love the exercise and have had such powerful experiences teaching it in workshops. It’s a beautiful portal ❤️
I love this, Jeannine, thank you! It reminds me of a section in Demi Moore's memoir towards the end [I think] where she filled pages with sentences that began "I got here because..." I used that as a prompt and it was eye-opening.
That sounds so powerful. Thank you, Lisa ❤️
Jeannine, I just stumbled upon this story of Donald Hall from 2008 and thought you would appreciate it. https://dartmed.dartmouth.edu/spring08/html/poetry_of_caregiving.php
Thank you! I will check this out, I love Donald Hall!
Yes, it is beautiful and thank you on my Sunday morning in Wagga Wagga.
Thank you, Cathie!
This is beautiful and a great idea for a piece. I imagine the surprise when some things that have been submerged re-emerge, when the deep rises to the surface, when the old archaic trails deliver new meaning.
What a beautiful comment— thank you ❤️
I love this! Love, love, love. Synchronicity, as I’m reading mine Tuesday on Alyson Shelton’s Instagram WHERE I’M FROM feature where she features a poem and author in a short interview. You should do it! I can’t wait to share mine on Substack after she runs it!
I can’t wait to read I it!!!
Love how you come from those hats. Like a speck of glitter and light, out of all the trauma.
Thank you, Kelly ❤️
Lovely piece of writing Jeannine, I was inspired to write my own this morning. thanks for sharing
Oh! I’m so glad you wrote your own❤️
Absolutely beautiful Jeannine. Now I'm inspired to try writing my own...thank you.
Thank you, Anne! I’m glad you’re writing one ❤️
This is so beautiful and evocative, and like others have noted, a master class on showing rather than telling. As my anxieties about the election and where we are headed are getting harder to tamp down, I appreciate the way it reminds me of our commonalities, even if we live in far distant parts (literal and metaphorical) of our country. There are so many details about where you are from that are like those of where I am from, way up in the northwest corner.
Thank you so much for this, Rita. We have so many little threads between us ❤️