April Poetry Month - Day 1

             Moving into the beginning of the book. This time, "Haunting Your Childhood"

             Remember to share:

Tabatha Yeatts has created a link to poems teachers and librarians can print for poetry month, titled "Poetry in The Halls". I'm grateful to be one of the poets!

Jama Rattigan has a post HERE with many poets' goals for April.

The Progressive Poem schedule can be found on the right!

Blooming Comes With Thorns

In World War II, my grandfather, “Pop”,

offered two sons to fight,

gave up a son-in-law,

my father,

to the Pacific Ocean. He was a pilot,

shot down, gone.

Now Pop had another daughter

to rear, me.

My mother and I moved in with her parents,

Retirement from the farm to town

gave a fixed income, expertise

used in a feed store.

His small warehouse across the street

became my roller rink.

I skated in between the palettes

of animal feed sacks, Nutrena,

Purina for cattle, goats, chickens.

Sharp curves on the smooth concrete.

music drifting from the office radio,

pretending performer.

This sunny day,

I rushed from school, 

put on the roller skates.

You know, those clamp-on skates

tightened with the key that hung

around the neck on a string.

I yelled goodbye to Grandma,

and raced across to see Pop

to skate the school day away.

He waited across the street, watching.

He leaned down, not to hug,

but to grab, reach around,

and give me a swat.

We walked right back home.

No skating, only tears –

I hadn’t looked both ways!

It’s the only spanking I remember,

the time I started to grow up,

learned to pay attention,

to take care of myself.

Linda Baie ©