Sidetracked Stories

Ep.106 Our Lives in Poems


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Maya Angelou once said, "The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart." 

Well, I don't think that any of our attempts at writing a poem are going to pierce anyone's heart, but it was interesting, challenging, and dare I say it...FUN!?!

Judy is the poet among us Sidetracked Sisters and she can come up with a thought in verse as easy as pie. Michelle has written a few poems in the past. Me, I taught a poetry writing unit to First Graders for years that focused on looking carefully at something and making connections with your senses through free verse (not rhyming). Sandy, doesn't even read poetry. But she is always game for something new...

So we sat down at the restaurant and just began (there may have been Margaritas involved). Now, we did have a week to think about our topic... For me, my hubby and I had just had a conversation with our oldest son, who at the age of 18 is going to make us grandparents. During our conversation, he excitedly, announced that he planned on being a "fun dad". He said this in a way that indicated a significant expectation and daydreaming hopefulness about the upcoming experience--no irony at all!

The phrase continued to ring in my ears through the following week. On my walks with the dogs, brushing my teeth, driving to pick up my daughter...I compared his dreamy words with the reality of parenting him for the past 7 years. But how do you brew one off-hand comment with the angst of a middle schooler and the rebellion of a high school child? How do you shine a light into hope while keeping your feet on the solid ground of reality?

My poem, "Fun Dad" is an amateur's attempt at letting the words of my heart bleed onto the paper. Not a lot of blood...just a little. And I'm the only one who went into the writing this week with a knife. Everyone else took a much more lighthearted approach to the topic. And, what's most important--we spent a lovely time with one another, talking, eating, laughing, and doing our legacy writing...

https://sidetrackedsisters.com/category/health-self/entertainmentfun/



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Sidetracked StoriesBy Sidetracked Sisters