4/07/2009

Day 11

At the prompting of Patti Digh (and life, and timing, and the universe), I'm doing one thing every day for 37 Days, and sharing that journey here. You can read about what I'm doing in this post.

Saw this on Madeline's blog, and couldn't resist.

I am from a bunk bed shared with 2 sisters, from cornbread in milk, and biscuits with molasses eaten with weak hot tea.

I am from the country, cows across the road, buggy summer nights and the hum of the fan in the window.

I am from the cherry tree, the dogwood, the pink and white azaleas bursting forth each year. I am from earthworms and lightning bugs as friends.

I am from Sunday dinner at Grammy's, from Monopoly played as quietly as we could and the old Royal typewriter with its letters on long metal arms, from That Room We Could Never Go Into and the front porch glider.

I am from the silence, and no crying or laughing, from no talking during the evening news.

I am from the rural mountains of Maine, from outhouses and bathing in streams, and sleepovers with cousins.

I'm from Charlotte, NC and Mobile, Alabama, from sweet iced tea and practicality so rigid it sang when plucked.

I'm from a Methodist Church that we never talked about, from Jesus Loves Me and the youth choir, from revivals where I fell in love with God.

From two sisters, and Barbies, and a lavender room with lavender pillows, curtains and bed shams. From my sister and I making our oldest sister miserable, hiding under the bed to surprise her, from our old playhouse built by my father's hand.

I am from one old picture album, pages and pictures falling out, from stories told with laughter until we catch each others' eyes, from shared understanding of what was.

2 comments:

GreenishLady said...

What an incredible, powerful evocation of your early life! I can see and hear so much in this.

carri said...

Oh Caren, this is beautiful.