Lonely Letters
grandma knew loneliness,
and there are nights
I cling to her letters,
walk around in them
like I’m a parasite
infesting old gardens
like home in shared
looped script, all
the tendrils that
root us to
specific spaces
that are overgrown
with the daily trauma
of being alive
I hear her voice
in wind song, and
the choking inflection
of holding back tears
forces mine to brim
ghosts wait in every wing
to beckon me backwards,
every step forward
is more distance away
from those swollen gravesites
where the buried struggle
to find rest
teardrops burn the pages,
running rivers I’ll chase
in hope to find
the me that healed these things
old words like balm
that once poured from my mouth
to remind me
that the place around the bend
may be that saving wellspring
I know exists
because grandma showed me
during lonely moments,
and my cleansed eyes
will see the path again
Image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay
Thistle Thoughts 
Oh yes, my sweets. Hold on to what grandma showed you. She was smarter than she let known. You are safe now.
And look at you… OctoPoWriMo is almost over and you — wow, you rocked it. Swell. Steller job, Jennifer. Keep the pace. You’re almost there. Yay!
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So very true 🙂 I miss her every day still.
Thank you! It’s been fun this month. Draining at times, but a fun. 🙂
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You’re doing amazing. Keep it up till the end. Two more days and home free. (Well, you know what I mean) I applaud you. 👏
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Sensitive piece. I like how you have captured the connection between the past and future here.
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Thank you very much
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Another wonderful poem. The caring wisdom passed down from our elders — it’s a beautiful thing to carry with us and keep alive to aid us. And the hopeful strength in the last stanza. I’ll echo Selma Martin’s comment: you’ve done marvelous crafting daily poems this month. I add my hands to the applause 🙂
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Thank you so much, Dave
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This is excellent, Jennifer!!
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Thank you
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An intense and emotional poem about your grandmother! Also, the sense of hope and resolve you feel at the end is heartwarming! Best wishes Jennifer!
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Thanks
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This poem resonates. It evokes the feeling of connection and loss to grandparents so well. I have a deep sense of longing to be able to converse with some of my grandparents again now that I’m older.
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I feel that completely ♥️
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