She hung the clothes out
and walked away
away from the sunshine
into the dark woods.
I watched Mama leave
through the screen
of the back porch.
Felt my sisters
little hands slide into mine
ten years younger
they didn’t fully understand.
That night was long
my thoughts flew spastically
but were constantly
yanked to reality
by golden-haired twins
crying on me.
Morning came with stiff joints
grumbling six-year olds
I fed them toast and milk
put them on the school bus
waved goodbye.
Looking out at the wash
I thought how Dad left chasing a dream
Mama left chasing a memory
then I left chasing work.
School, cheer-leading, dances
boyfriends, breakups, college
graduations, weddings, births
good-times, hard-times
I was there.
Now on a quiet Saturday Morning
I stand alone on that
screened in porch.
I close my eyes
and indulge
in the aroma of the coffee
the illusion of her
walking back out of the dark woods
back into the sunlight
gathering the wash off the line
…
MAMA.
© D.B. Hall
Excerpt from the book “Pebbles in the Stream”
About the Author
David Hall was born in a small town called Mount Airy (A.K.A Mayberry) nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains which are part of the large Appalachian Mountain chain. His early life involved a lot of traveling with his missionary parents, which involved stints of living in Mexico and Bolivia. His poetry reflects a love for nature and life mixed with a sense of the rustic Americana spirit and sprinkled with a lingering sense of the spiritual guidance infused by his southern religious upbringing. David has always been able to live in the moment enjoying it to the fullest while being able to be separated within himself seeking something more. Poetry is one of those outlets that gives him that something more. The diversity of genres and endless array of topics allow him to dive into poetry with reckless abandon or with fine-tuned precision; whichever is needed. Like a prism there are many sides of David, from the emotional connections when dealing with death, to the touch of the spring breeze on your neck hairs, David’s poetry can put you there.
Visit David’s Author Page At: www.ctupublishinggroup.com/d.b.-hall.html
Categories: author
beautiful!
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