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OctPoWriMo 2015 Day 19
… Oh, Dear !

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Plimoth Plantation
free use image

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OctPoWriMo 2015 Day 19 …Oh Dear !

The Prompt:

“…. I yet again bring you something with form! Never fear, this one has nothing to do with counting!

Actually this is a form that I kinda made up one day for a poetry class in college, I call it the “Dear,” form.

Once upon a time a friend and I were joking about our ex boyfriends at the beginning of poetry class and coming forth from that was what we wrote that day!

How to do it?

Each line of the poem starts with “Dear (name)”
You get one line to say something to an ex or some significant love, example I did my ex boyfriend, my high school crushes, my (then) current boyfriend, my childhood love, etc. Anyways my list ended up to be about 17 names long.
For each name, you get one sentence plus one word (optional) Example: “Dear Steve, at least you made good coffee. Sorry.”

Don’t have a long enough list? You can go with a list like your bridesmaids, your best friends in college, deceased pets, etc. I’ve always liked doing this periodically with the same list to see if my feelings have changed towards any of the memories I have of these people. It’s a nice reflective exercise I feel, personally I think it pairs well with a glass of wine.”~Beverly Tan
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My Response to the prompt:

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Dear Ancestors …
those who came on the Mayflower
with Edward for going back and getting the cows
so we could have milk and cheese in Wisconsin.
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Dear Ancestor writers and poets
who came before me…
your genes have been passed on
and into two generations after me.

Dear how many greats it is ancestors…
of those of you who were artists…
your gift of artist talent
is now in my grandchildren alive,
well and thriving.
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Dear Grandmother Winslow,
who emigrated from Norway
to an unknown place,
and thru your example showed me
how to handle crippling pain
with your grace and never heard to complain.
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Dear Grandfather Winslow,
you showed eternal love,
providing her the fine things she loved.
Saving and living frugally
to buy the crystal chandelier
piece by piece,
the oriental rug,
the french dishes for the table
… I wonder how many other things
we never knew about.
You gave me the love of Norman Rockwell
and remember the cellar room wall papered
with the Saturday Evening Post covers.
Most of all, your example of service …
doing all you could for your wife,
carrying her down the stairs in the morning, up at night…
never complaining
just doing what was needed
to keep Grandmother center in our lives ~
and allowing her to enjoy her surroundings
more than the four walls of the bedroom.
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I just realized that,
before the elevator at the nursing home,
when I helped carry residents
from second floor to first for whatever reason,
I must have heard you whisper in my ear.
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Dear Grandmother Gerstner ~
I may be following your foot steps
of making the rounds of the children/grandchildren
in the December of my life.
You taught me to keep silent
when in someone else’s home
… not to speak out loud your feelings,
yours must have been stepped on many times.
I learned so much by sharing a room
and my bed with you.
I still have your aprons
you showed me with patience
how to cross-stitch and patchwork
the right way and with elegance.

Dear Ancestors
who not only came over on the Mayflower
but by boat and plane, for a better life
or married and moved to join a family
~ one came on the day a baby was buried.
Your traits and personalities are still alive and well.
I wonder because of lack of photos,
if we look like you,
…. I can see some in me …
my Winslow nose that fits so well
with the Gerstner round and fluffy physique.

Peace and Love,

Sigrid (Gerstner) (mother Mary Winslow) Saradunn Artist, Poet, Writer

Posted by siggiofmaine in Uncategorized Tags: ancestors, Edward and the cows, Edward Winslow of the Mayflower, Gerstner family, Norman Rockwell magazine covers, OctPoWriMo 2015 Day 19 ...Oh Dear !, Sigrid (Gerstner) (mother Mary Winslow) Saradunn