Thursday, July 21, 2011

My Grandmother a Poet {Poetry Friday}

A tribute
to a knight in silver armor

Who rode away
on a white charge
to a land of no pain

He left a void
where I will stumble along

Until we meet
at another time and place



Author - Geraldine G Lane

Knight in shining armor by kristymama3
thank you flicker via kristymama3



I remember my grandmother having this poem read at my Grandfather's burial six years ago and realizing she was quite the poet, author, daily writer and I could learn from her.  My grandparents had been married for maybe over 60 years.  My grandparents were the boy and girl next door.  My grandparents are wonderful.

My grandmother kept a diary all her life.  It was part of her daily routine.  She would sit at her desk each evening before bed and scribble - her handwriting was so small cliff notes about her day.  She could pack a lot of thoughts into five or six lines of text.  She traveled to my Ohio home twice once six years ago and then again three years ago for my birthday and she kept that routine.  My aunt said in her care facility she spent at time she would take notes/drafts during the day and do a final copy into her favorite notebook at night.  I love how she found writing daily in her life and this inspires me.  My family is finding lots of writing and I have a collection to look through she left me to learn more about this amazing woman and writer.  My grandmother passed away at the beginning of this summer, my heart has been heavy but her own words/writing let me know things are ok. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and letting me "publish" my grandmother's writing.

11 comments:

  1. I loved this post, Mandy. I can just imagine your grandmother, writing in her notebooks. And being happily married for over sixty years is wonderful. Sending you a sympathetic cyber-hug for your loss.

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  2. I love the way Twitter can wind our lives together. I wrote a tweet, you saved it as a favorite, I then followed you over to your post here. You have written a lovely tribute to your grandmother. It was a pleasure to read.

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  3. What a lovely start to the day to read this love story of your grandmother and grandfather. Thank you for sharing! And enjoy and savor those writings you all are finding.

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  4. Such a moving piece. I love how you are able to trace your love of writing and tie it back to your grandmother who has the gift of capturing a multitude of emotions in a few lines. That is a gift. And her verses that she has left with you and the family are treasures. Thank you for sharing this with us.

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  5. Mandy,
    I love this post for so many reasons. I love the message it sends about the importance of our writing lives, that it is about poetry, that it is about grandmothers (because I had the best grandmas & miss them every day), and that it tells of the importance of story.

    I keep a writer's notebook - sporadically. It is a mish-mashed collection of thoughts, poetry, lines from books, stories of events. I often thinking about starting an electronic version and giving up the paper book. I can type much faster than I can write --- and everyone can read it. You have me rethinking that again. The idea of having one written book with the best snippets is very smart. We can all learn a lot from your grandma.

    I'm bookmarking this post with another favorite grandma post by Julie. I'm sure you've seen it, but I think it is another beautiful tribute to a grandmother: "Summer Gifts" http://bit.ly/pKkP7s. (Maybe I should put them both in the category of posts that make you want to grab a tissue.)

    I think your grandma has left you a wonderful gift. I'm sorry for your loss, but know you have many wonderful memories to carry with you.

    Cathy

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  6. Mandy,
    The love you have for your Grandma is so apparent in this beautiful post. She sounds like an amazing woman who has left you an amazing gift. It's an inspiration to call of us to write things down to preserve the memories.

    I'm so sorry for your loss, but she will live on through her writing.

    Nicole

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  7. I love the poem and the ways you're remembering your grandmother.

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  8. A wonderful tribute to your grandmother!

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  9. Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts. This writing has helped me heal a bit and your kind words are guiding.

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    Replies
    1. Mandy,
      Thank You for being yourself. LOVE Dad

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  10. Mandy~
    This is a beautiful poem and story of your grandma. Both my grandma's died when my parents where just children, I know I missed out on a valuable relationship, You are blessed to have these wonderful gifts from grnadma.
    Thanks for sharing
    ~deb

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