Note to Pearl, Mother's Day 1988
The other day, standing at the sink,
I caught myself staring out the kitchen window
watching the wind push the swings
on the old gym set.
I thought to myself -
Grandmother used to stand this way
I remembered our visits
I would sit at the breakfast table,
eating her famous "cathead" biscuits,
drinking coffee (like Grandfather did) out of a cup saucer
and watching her look out the window
I don't know what her eyes were set upon, nor her thoughts
but I do remember her standing at the sink in deep contemplation
Sometimes, I would ask her what she was looking at
and she would always answer something like -
"Nothing, sugar." or
"Nothing, darling, just lookin'."
As the years passed,
each visit seemed to be prompted by Death,
and those moments, with her at the window, took on a different meaning
I felt as though she were standing there,
waiting for those who had gone before - to return
a look of quiet expectation, on her face
as if they were out in the yard,
almost ready to come in for the day.
I thought to myself, as I stood at my window,
perhaps all mothers stand at THEIR kitchen windows that way -
washing dishes and waiting for their loved ones to come in
Then, I remembered how YOU used to stand at YOUR kitchen sink
And I cried.
Thomas is one of the Poets Unleashed, and they have graciously granted us permission to share this excerpt from their book of the same title. For more information about Poets Unleashed, please see http://members.tripod.com/poetsunleashed/index.htm
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