Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 28, 2015

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

20 Comments

Wild Strawberry Jam

Cherries on a tree

My heart is safe in the quiet moments,
when my memory swells with the sweet fruit
of remembered triumphs, not even my own.
The first day my son climbed a tree,
he looked up and laughed at the sky.
Another day, I found a love note in my sock drawer,
penned by my tiny second boy, “i luv yuo Moma!”
When my knees failed to do as I pleased,
my daughter offered me a hug, complete
with damp kisses scented with hot chocolate.
After a surgery, lost in circles of pain,
my growing-up boys made a week of dinners,
fragrant salads awash in salmon and spices.
Before my daughter leaves for school, she tells me,
“I’ll hold you in my heart all day, and I’ll always love you.”
My aunt finds four-leafed clovers every spring,
and I find love hidden in the smallest thing.
My heart is full of wild strawberry sweetness,
a mashed jam of moments like these.

Note: This poem was inspired by a poem by Jane Yolen, emailed to my mailbox. What a blessing to a poet is correspondence with other poets. I hope your day is showered with the sweet fruit of your most delicious memories.

20 thoughts on “Wild Strawberry Jam”

  1. A poem full of smiles!
    Today my son called me after an exam. He said he finished early & thought that he’d call me before heading to lunch.
    He’s away at college. And – I miss him being away. So- the call made my day!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Brenda, sorry you had so much pain. I mentioned on late summer posts concern but never realized it would hurt so much.
    Your children were wonderful and I hope your husband pitched in, too. The hugs and words of your young daughter were touching. I am so glad you wrote this out so you may show the kids later should they forget. The salmon salad prepared by son (s) was very special, too. ♡

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Aahhh, what a gorgeous poem Brenda, made my day reading this!!♥ You have such a lovely family, reminds me a lot of my own and memories of mum and dad and all our ups and downs and how we pulled together to keep us going at the worst times. Your boys cooking meals is excellent, the best thing you can teach a boy is how to cook and clean. I can remember my brother being partially responsible at 14 for turning on the heat on the prepared vegetables and cold casserole in the fridge when my mum was still at work preparing food for others. Our house depended on her job, her work literally kept the roof over our heads, and my dads work paid for everything else. And he looked after me too, until mum got home – he still does!!! 😀 By the time he was 18 he could confidently cook a meal, and had no problem helping round the house after my mum got rheumatoid arthritis.

    These times are stressful, but so much more bearable when everyone is of the same mindset. And how adorable your daughters hug must have been – with damp kisses of hot chocolate. I would love to have seen that!!! 😀 And I can just imagine that laughing little boy looking to the sky as he climbed the tree. Absolutely love that line!! Are those apples on the tree?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Comments welcome!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.