cheek by jowl
close at hand
neck and neck
connected
aligned
next to
beside
entwined
like the secondary
colors,
green,
purple,
orange,
we’re different
unique
clashing
disparate
at odds
night and day
but we’re family
Notes: The three secondary colors are green, purple and orange, each formed by mixing two of the primary colors, red, yellow and blue. This is a list poem, which are often funny or surprising. I was ruminating on summer vacations spent with my three kids.
Happy Poetry Friday and thanks to Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at the Poem Farm for hosting.
35 thoughts on “On Family Summers”
Comments welcome!
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Friendly Fairy Tales 
Nice!
My chaotic life: http://chaosnconfessions.wordpress.com
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Sweet photos at the farm.
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This is a very cool way to talk about family. A way for us to appreciate our differences and how we complement (and can compliment!) each other. Thank you! And sometimes we see it better when together…and sometimes we appreciate this more when apart. Thank you! xx
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Thanks for your comment, Amy. Our summers are such important bonding time, despite our differences. I will be sad when we don’t have them anymore.
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You take the most glorious flower photos, Brenda! The unexpected perspective of your poem is equally eye-opening.
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After all these years blogging, it’s gratifying that I can still surprise people. 🙂
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Love the poem! And I love those family vacations, but those disparate interests (of family from 12 to 75+) can create some interesting times.
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Absolutely. That’s what makes them so fun.
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I feel like I have learned so much about appreciating differences from my kids! Or should I say from their “disparate” interests. You took the perfect photo to accompany your list poem.
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Thanks, Tabatha. I also feel like I’ve learned how to be family from my kids. We are a different family than I grew up in, and it is so much fun.
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I like the last stanza & ending.
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Thanks, Dan. 🙂 My boys love to bicker.
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🙂
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A favorite word is “disparate”, & I love that you used it to describe “family”. Indeed!
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I wanted to describe it openly enough that the reader could bring their own family into thinking about it.
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Secondary colors — brilliant. And, yes. Family
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🙂
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Reblogged this on Ace Friends & Bloggers News.
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i love the secondary colors – and green is my favorite color of all. the mixes are the magic.
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Green is my favorite color, too, although purple has been coming in a close second since I had a daughter. 🙂
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The threads of family–rich analogies Brenda, whatever the “odds” always “entwined.” Gorgeous vibrant photo too, is it from your garden? Thanks!
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The photo was taken at a neighbor’s. I was happy when this came together. I’ve had list poems in the back of my mind for a while. Have a great weekend!
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Enjoy your weekend too!
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A fun poem and a beautiful photo to boot! Thanks Brenda for an upbeat post as I read this before my class starts today. Happy Friday!
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Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend.
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
AND THAT MAKES IT ALL THE MORE SPECIAL—,E,ORIES TO BE CHERISHED FOR YEARS LATER! 🙂
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I do cherish my summers with the kids. 🙂
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As Diana and I do—our childhood summer memories!
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Such a good time in one’s life.
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Good analogy of the family of man with the spectrum of colours!
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Thanks, Peter. Some days it feels like the closer we are, the more different we want to be.
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Fabulous color combination, so vibrant and saturated!
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Thanks!
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Truth! What a nice poem about the ups and downs of family! 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂 Our summers are precious. It’s always bittersweet when the kids go back to school.
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