Reanimated Lavender Granola Switchblade Nun rides again.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

1909



It was a long way to go

To the friend's house,

So she,

Hattie,

And Marjorie

Dressed themselves like cloth bells

And swung with each step

Through the snow.



She had not slept much the night before--

When the fireside is warm

And the wine is good

There are more uses than one for a lady's scarf;

But today she talks of cobblers and cows

To Hattie

And Marjorie

Because, after all,

Friends, too, can warm a woman's heart.



It was a long way to go,

From the morning to the evening--

She grew tired

And her feet got cold.

Eventually, her friends

Hattie,

And then Marjorie,

Went their own way into night across the snow.

I cannot see my foot tracks anymore, she thought,

No helpful light yet drifting from the sky;

I cannot feel my fingers,

Nor my slowly quieting heart...

I cannot feel...

I cannot feel...

I.

________

for Magpie 49

Dedicated to my grandmother, whose name was Marjorie. You are missed.

_________

26 comments:

  1. O Shay this is a beautiful tribute to your grandmother...friends had to be their lifeline in the day...they were held back in so many ways...these were strong woman ...again beautiful....bkm

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  2. A mix of eerie and serene that shouldn't mix but does...and for some reason seems like the end of one tale and the beginning of another. Footsteps in the snow...leading to a mystery.

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  3. I thought this was very lovely. I liked how the story flowed. Very nice. :-) Nice to meet you...through both Poets United AND Magpie.

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  4. Ms. Hedgewitch makes a keen observation ~ I also sensed the eerie vibe. This was intense.

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  5. i also think this is a lovely tribute. your grandmother must have been so proud of you. it's in the remembering that holds our loved ones close to our hearts. i wonder if you really know what a brilliant poet you are? i hope so xx

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  6. Beautiful. Brilliant form. And because I just lost my grandmother, this resonates with my own remembrance and nostalgia.

    Thank you Fireblossom.

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  7. the mention of the scarf has gotten to me...there in lies the mystery....
    I think she was jilted and contemplated you know what
    but went on to walk in the snow home with her friends then
    left them to leave them all
    (lost in the snow and died)
    But if not the story...I enjoyed the hunt

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  8. Very lovely. Evocative, I was transported back in time.....loved the line "dressed themselves like cloth bells and swung with every atep" - only you could have written that!!!!! The ending is a surprise, and sad. Brilliant writing, as always.

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  9. 'Dressed themselves like cloth bells'
    I like this. An enjoyable read.

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  10. Like cloth bells. I like that, too.

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  11. I was so excited to read the name Marjorie because that was the name of one of my mother's older sisters, who was a young girl in 1909. It is such a beautiful name...
    Your poem held me spellbound, really. Beautiful.

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  12. i like the glimpse of these three friends, and not knowing more about them lets me do some of the imagining. cool.

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  13. "Cloth bells" is so lovely. A Beautiful tribute to your grandmother, Shay. I know she is smiling.

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  14. I always wondered how women in their long dresses coped with walking in the snow:~)

    This story is mysterious and loving. I also wondered about the reference to the scarf and loved it when you said, "Friends, too, can warm a woman's heart." So true.

    I imagine your grandmother was someone special because she couldn't be anything less with you as her granddaughter:~)

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  15. An underlying mystery to be sure. But one fact there was the friendship that saw then through til...

    Excellent word smithing as always Shay

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  16. Grandma would be so proud of Shay's way with words! I love this!

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  17. Beautiful tribute. You have a great way with words.

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  18. All our grandmothers have been an inspiration in some way....this is a lovely tribute Shay! :-)

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  19. Shay, this just "rings" with so much longing and beauty for Marjorie.

    Lovely, you :)

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  20. Once again, the 'feel' of your Magpie is echoed by mine on Alias Jinksy! :)

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  21. Loved teh 'cloth bells' i.e. clothed belles?!

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  22. I could've sworn I already commented, but I returned to read it again and now I don't see that I did.

    Anyway, the sadness of this one touches me. To be left without friends to warm your heart. To fade into the numbness of non-being. You write so beautifully and so well!

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  23. Loved it! A bit eerie... flowing from a serene embrace of friends... until the still of darkness stills ones heart.

    Nice tribute!

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