The poems this week in our on-going Memoir Series took us back to our childhood homes. And whether we wrote of a room, or house, or neighborhood, we exposed a bit more of ourselves in an effort to write our “histories”. My belief from the start of this project was that every story was worth being told and who better to tell it! I applaud all who have undertaken this excursion and I promise that when we are all done, we will have personal poetry collections of which to be very proud. Stories waiting to be read!
So, now the the BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS:
MARIE ELENA’S CHOICE
Oh my, the emotions accompanying this prompt. I enjoyed each and every read. You all wrote wonderfully descriptive and emotion-provoking poems. I’ve had an incredibly hard time narrowing my choices to one once again. Some of you described your dwellings in descriptive detail, while managing to convey a sense of who you are, and where you fit in your memories. A few focused on only one or two details. Laurie Kolp focused on one power-laden, passion-provoking aspect of her home. Her brilliantly titled, “Walled” haunted me all week. Laurie, I offer you my “Bloom.”
Walled (by Laurie Kolp)
When a childhood home is an ant bed
red with fire, hot-headed desire turns
joy to angst. You hide in your
yellow room, write stories
about someone else
hoping to be-
come yellow
like the
walls.
WALT’S CHOICE OF BLOOM:
I was drawn to this poem from the first time I read it (having read it approx. ten more times since). The title immediately caught my eye. We lived in a yellow house as well. But, the details included played as brush strokes against life’s canvas. I got the sense of being in the house, so described. And the essence I hoped our poets would convey was well expressed here. The last lines were what fluttered in my heart when I proposed the prompt.
“Now it is blue and different and strange
And now I can only reminisce about when it was still mine.
Most of us are far removed from it, but no matter how the domicile had changed, our recollections put us back in our rooms . For that, I award my BEAUTIFUL BLOOM to Lauren for her piece:
REMEMBERING THE YELLOW HOUSE by Lauren
My house
Big and yellow
A yard in front with trees to climb
In back, a porch we built,
A swing set we built. In back,
A river that flooded and attracted geese.
My house
A living room with a high sloping ceiling
A big staircase with a white intricate railing.
Memories of body parts stuck between designs
And people sitting on the stairs at parties
A Christmas tree stood in the middle (or so it seemed).
My room
Had just one extra step up
Smothered in pink and white
Instead I spent hours in my brother’s room
With cars and legos and forts in early mornings
Plus his smaller smiling face.
My house was my house
Until I was almost ten
A tearful good-bye marked the end of a chapter
Yet half my life still lingers there.
Now it is blue and different and strange
And now I can only reminisce about when it was still mine.
Congratulations to Laurie Kolp and Lauren on your selection this week.
To our poets, thank you for you exceptional work. I am extremely encouraged by your enthusiasm for this Memoir Project. We will continue tomorrow with a new reminiscence to explore!
August 18th, 2012 at 2:06 AM
What beautiful poems; both of them! Like Marie, I found “Walled” a little haunting, but nonetheless beautiful. Well done both of you.
August 18th, 2012 at 3:01 AM
Yes… both beautifully, painfully written….; for me, Lauren’s last line… “…And now I can only reminisce about when it was still mine.” touched my soul — the absolutely profound pain of losing something that means sooo much to me often keeps me from moving forward with courage…
Maybe, now that I have realized this about myself… Anyway, thank you, Lauren. Congratulations, both!
August 18th, 2012 at 7:53 AM
Yes… now that it is 7:50am (and not a sleepy 3:01am
!) … Lauren, thanks to your words, I am off to courageously move forward!!! 
!!!
August 18th, 2012 at 3:12 AM
These two lovely poems resonate with the true meaning of the word Home, a refuge and our own special space.
August 18th, 2012 at 8:26 AM
Oh, thank you so much… I feel honored to be a bloom! Congrats to Lauren, too.
August 18th, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Both great poems with different moods. Laurie’s is frightening and sad, Lauren’s is reflective.
Lauren, your last words are so true. From birth until I was 18, I lived in one house. I have so many memories there. Then my brother bought the house and over the years he and his wife have totally changed it, inside and out. Every time I go visit, I can still picture my room as it was.
And to my writing buddy, Laurie—yeah! You go, girl!
August 18th, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Congrats on your blooms, Laurie and Lauren!
August 18th, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Congratulations, Laurie and Lauren!
And, Marie and Walt, thank you again for coming up with this prompt.
August 19th, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Congrats to Laurie and Lauren, two amazing poems!
August 19th, 2012 at 2:59 PM
Wonderful choices for blooms, Laurie and Lauren – coincidentally having to do with the colour yellow … cool … congrats to both for fine poems and thanks again to our nurturing gardeners, Walt and Marie Elena!
August 20th, 2012 at 9:59 PM
Funny — I thought the same thing, Sharon!
Nice work, ladies! Excellent choices Marie & Walt! I love these last lines too, Lauren — lovely!:
“…half my life still lingers there.
Now it is blue and different and strange
And now I can only reminisce about when it was still mine.”
August 19th, 2012 at 10:56 PM
Congratulations, Laurie and Lauren. You served us marvelous memories drawn from long ago and placed with precision within our grasp so that we, too, may wander familiar rooms and breathe in the life of others.
Thank you for these lovelies to add to the growing bouquet of blooms.
August 20th, 2012 at 4:54 AM
I agree with the choices, and that yellow tinge reminds me of my Aunt Ruth’s house. Her china cabinet, bathed in the afternoon glow. Lovely poems, both women! Amy
August 20th, 2012 at 9:55 AM
Thank you so much! I posted on here as a whim not entirely sure if anyone was going to read or care. I feel honored and totally overwhelmed that you all liked it so much.
Congrats also to Laurie! Your poem is beautiful and powerful!
August 21st, 2012 at 1:54 AM
The monorhyme page did not come up so I shall post the link here.
http://roslynrosssmallstones.blogspot.com.au/
August 21st, 2012 at 10:59 AM
Hi ros/ross! The monorhyme had a mind of its own, and posted momentarily before it should have. It will officially post on Wednesday.
Marie Elena
August 26th, 2012 at 11:54 PM
Excellent choices
October 17th, 2012 at 4:15 PM
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