In celebration of International Women’s Day
My mother’s hands held me
My mother’s hands washed my hair
My mother’s hands sewed my cotton shifts
and later my wedding dress
In a big yellow bowl
her hands kneaded together
bread and onions
sage and broth
to make huge batches
of cornbread dressing
for our Sunday feast
My mother’s hands soothed my brow
when I had a fever
My mother’s hands held my father’s
comforting him as he died
Those hands typed and scrubbed and ironed
nursed scraped knees and turned Bible pages
For all of her life my mother
worked and loved with her hands
The photo above is of my parents with me when I was a year old. I do not know who the photographer was.
I made the first draft of this poem during a visual journaling workshop earlier this week. When I remembered that today was International Women’s Day, I thought who better to honor this day than this very special woman, Georgia Moss Smith.
Lovely – so moving.
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Thank you, Michael. I have been thinking more and more about your suggestion to use my art work to illustrate my poems. This visual journaling workshop has been inspirational.
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It certainly seems so, LuAnne.
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Truly beautiful, LuAnne, and the perfect posting for International Women’s Day. Thank you.
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Thank you, Joan.
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Mother’s shape us. How they loved teaches us how to love, how they served others teaches us how to be a little less selfish, how they care teaches the many ways of caring. Thanks for sharing part of your mothers caring.
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What a lovely comment, Lindy. You have a poem right there! 🙂
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what a poignant piece of artwork, LuAnne. Perfect for the poem. Hands are magical things. They have the power to hurt or heal. Just like words in their own way. Loved the poem.
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Yes, I had never thought of it that way but yes, hands can hurt or heal just like words. 🙂
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Beautiful. So glad I got to know Georgia for a short time
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I am too, Martha. Thanks for stopping by.
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A wonderful acknowledgement of your mother and all mothers. I especially like the hand surrounded by the hand written poem. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you, Ali. Glad you dropped by.
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