Note: maybe it’s the heat (blessing of summer), but I just noticed my last post (be patient, I procrastinate, I don’t post often) was about this same poem! This one, again, a slightly different version.<\/p>\n
It’s been an amazing summer! Beginning with participating in a class taught by Alison McGhee at Metro State! The class motivated me to get back to poetry. One of the poems I wrote about my grandson Ethan is an honorable mention in the Goodreads monthly poetry contest (this is the first time I’ve submitted anything-wow, what an honor). I haven’t written anything since the class, but as writers we shouldn’t be hard on ourselves, the writing will happen when we\/or it is ready-but, sometimes we need to be among other writers to help make that happen. <\/p>\n
Give Grandma a Kiss
\n\t\tfor Ethan, my nonverbal, autistic grandson<\/p>\n
I always wear mauve lipstick, give
\nGrandma a kiss\u2014<\/p>\n
He leans in, all seven years of him, knowing
\nmore than I know after
\n67 years of thousands of kisses. <\/p>\n
He leans in, without hesitation. I
\nmark his brown forehead with a temporary
\ntattoo. My kiss his kiss. Like no kiss
\na man has given me. Words <\/p>\n
not necessary language. His way
\nof love, spontaneous, silent<\/p>\n
a heart organic, knowing what it is
\nto hold breath a millisecond; a mime
\nnot needing to be understood. <\/p>\n
But Grandma wants to see underneath
\nthe innocence, to reach what she lost
\nor never experienced.<\/p>\n
Later, my daughter-in-law, the nurse,
\nquestions what she thinks is a scratch;
\nhow has he hurt himself this time?<\/p>\n
The hurt is mine; the gift unwrapped,
\nvisible, transparent.<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/topic\/show\/17029183-please-vote-for-the-august-2015-goodreads-newsletter-finalists<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Note: maybe it’s the heat (blessing of summer), but I just noticed my last post (be patient, I procrastinate, I don’t post often) was about this same poem! This one, again, a slightly different version. It’s been an amazing summer! Beginning with participating in a class taught by Alison McGhee …<\/p>\n