My friend Elaine of Kalilily lays claim to crone-dom, but never seems to grow old. Everytime I turn around she’s up to some new adventure–planting a garden, joining the Dean team (yay!)–now she’s taking a poetry course. I like this one so much I want to share it, but do yourself a favor, go over and check out the other good stuff in her blog!
Yesterday
I sent a package
to my second cousin,
stationed in Iraq
six pairs of
white cotton underpants
and a package of
vitamin C lozenges,
because even though
I protest this vile war,
urge presidential impeachment,
and grieve for those collaterally damaged,
I remember her
before the wars — that
feisty tow-headed toddler,
mindful motherless girl,
adventuresome young woman,
who took a calculated risk
that tossed her into desert dirt,
and a longing for
fresh, clean underwear.
(copyright EF 2003)
Footnote: Have you heard about the peaceniks who hate our soldiers? I sure have–Right-wingers claim they’re lurking on every corner! Really? Gosh! When one guy at Columbia announced he hoped for US defeat, he made world headlines because it was so unusual….
2 responses so far ↓
1 Elaine of Kalilily // May 21, 2003 at 8:26 am
(blush)
and much thanks.
2 The Children's Liberation Front (actually, Yule) // May 22, 2003 at 12:32 am
For me there’s now an added poignancy in this poem, especially the lines “adventuresome young woman, who took a calculated risk”, in the wake of the story of the grandmother, the mother of an Army soldier (female), who beat her daughter’s 4 year old daughter to death. The army mom had left her 4 children with her mother for safekeeping.