Abecedarian from Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith
All of the family got one,
All of the family got one,
Byron, Mama, Daddy, Grandmomma, and me. Our names
Carefully penned in Crayola Candy Apple Red.
Daddy cried the hardest, and that’s to be
Expected.
Daddy cried the hardest, and that’s to be
Expected.
Fathers, who leave, keep paying even when they come back.
Grandmomma sits sagelike,
Holding the letter to her chest,
Imitating the Virgin Mary, as if the Baby were
Jesus,
King of Kings.
“Lord, have
Mercy” were the only words she spoke. The letter said:
Now that Daddy’s back, let’s not be scared,
Okay?
Parents are good when there are two.
Quiet houses are
Really
Scary.
Time to love each other again.
Until forever. And that means a
Very long time.
With
XXXs and OOOs
Yours,
Zuri
http://ktm1231poetry.blogspot.com/2014/01/african-american-poetry.html
http://ktm1231poetry.blogspot.com/2014/01/african-american-poetry.html
Cool structure. It goes with "Charms" too. Although the father may not have been in the military, returning doesn't solve the problems caused by being away.
ReplyDeleteI am not quite certain as to who is writing the letter and who is coming home? The father is home, yet Zuri is writing...another one of the children? Zuri must be a girl with the XXXs and OOOs...
ReplyDeleteThoughts on taking advantage of the present moment, of time. Maybe love was missing before the father left, or maybe he was forced to leave, but now...they will try again. Forever.
a·be·ce·dar·i·an
ReplyDeleteˌābēsēˈderēən/
adjective
1.
arranged alphabetically.
"in abecedarian sequence"
2.
rudimentary; elementary.
"abecedarian technology"
What on earth does alphabetical order have to do with this poem?
Look at the first letter of each line.
ReplyDelete