I published these poems as I wrote them on my blog, Poems From Oostburg, Wisconsin. Today they are here, in one post, in honor of Mother’s Day. When I helped with her care, for many years a long time ago, my mother often asked if I was writing. Then I was not able to write, as often, for many reasons. Now my heart is overflowing.
My study of haiku influences my poetry in general. And my goal is to offer hope. There is a lot of rest around my posts, and the new WordPress editor makes it easy for me to create posts like this small collection today.
Hope you enjoy the poems, and perhaps one or two especially. And when you are unable to create, the work is still growing, as I have learned. Health must be the first priority. Thank you.
grey stillness
evergreen branches
are a painting
and I can see
the shape
of each branch
Easter lily
continues to bloom
and fragrance
blesses the room
morning clouds
and here and there
enough light for the lily
Spring grows
afternoon shadows
on a green lawn
after a warm day
and worth the wait
forsythia
evergreen branches
dance in the wind
light on forsythia
by the old garage
daffodils and tulips
bloom in Sheboygan
and some here too
Wisconsin Spring
AGE AND PLACE
where one person may see
an empty building
I see the store that
was there before and
where I shopped
for my mother
the road may look grey
with rain today yet
I remember this road
on all kinds of days
over many years
and seasons
bookstores may have closed
yet shelves of books
to look at and perhaps buy
exist in different places
thrift stores and other stores
library discards too
one step at a time
a new life can grow
and sometimes later
we may realize that
we are more at home
than ever before
reading poetry
some blue sky among clouds
and forsythia
THEY CAN RETURN
they can return
in new and different ways
some of the things
thought lost
my mother and I were
closer in her old age
though we always loved
language and books
a past illness led to me
simply sitting with her
for hours as that was
something I could do
conversations
the trust that grows
though decades
of unconditional love
now sometimes
these many years
since her passing
I remember what she said
and the advice still applies
Ellen Grace Olinger – Spring 2019
