there was always something to read
My father had his Popular Mechanics
the odd Edgar Cayce, a manual or two
But my mother...she had books upon books
Book-of-the-Month Club books
Harlequin romances--one in every room of the house
library books, New York Best Seller paperbacks
My mother could get so lost in a book
"Mom......MOM!"
you'd have to call her name twice
Of course, she bought us books
Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys
comic books and library cards
"Circle what you want from the Scholastic order
I'll write you a check"
This leads me to wonder
if my own book hoarding
my career in the library
is really just a yearning
for Mom.
******************
Here's an early wish for a Happy Mother's Day to all moms who pass on a love of reading to their children, not just by purchasing books, but by being readers themselves.
Your poem paints a picture of literacy. Love the musing at the end: wondering if your journey in the library is just a yearning for Mom. My mom was the same way with the book orders - whatever we wanted. What more could we want for a child than such dedication to literacy? Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteLove the last five words...
ReplyDeletejust a yearning
for Mom.
Nice. True. What I was amazed at was your Mom could read 2 books at once. One upstairs and one downstairs!!! Does yearning also mean "Taking after" your Mom. You are like her in more ways than just reading. Love Ya, Dad.
ReplyDeleteIt could mean just that. What a wonderful memory. Happy early Mother’s Day. Keep on reading!
ReplyDeleteOoh, that final line gave me goosebumps! Your poem could also describe my mother's reading life--which is surely one of the main reasons I grew into the reader that I am. So lovely!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. I can relate to your mom - my family has to call my name twice to get my attention when I am reading (or writing). Being pulled to re-emergence from such deep immersion is almost painful! I read so many Nancy Drew books in the summers at my grandmother's, when she took me to the tiny county library. Learned that the word "Titian" meant "red," the specific shade of Nancy's hair and that it came from an artist. The memories you have sparked with these lines -! I am a book-hoarder too. Each one has its own flavor, feel, personality ... That rich reading legacy given you by your mom ... a gift that you so clearly treasure ...of course books and your mom are simply inseparable. Love is wrapped around it all. The very binding of your life. So very powerful and poignant, Chris.
ReplyDelete