My friend’s mother gropes a metal grocery cart,
yells at sidewalks, flails her broad arms to the moon.
They tell him she talks to waves—
he waits for the breaking
of her dissonance.
My friend loves a girl but can never
have her home for dinner;
the quiet of family wrestles in his mother’s brain—
she rocks at the kitchen table,
legs crossed, right foot numb from blunt stamping
until the noise is all she feels.
She takes to the streets,
salvaging small, coarse garbage,
cart-worthy shards of brown glass.
“The river’s skin,” she repeats to damp air.
His mother twists her face with the wind,
steps forward and backward five times,
stops to suck the rain:
chin up, lips pucker, eyes close and breathes.
My friend loves rain—
cool layers clean his deep river cuts.
When the bottom drags him in,
the quiet tends.
Published with permission by the author. “Lady” previously appeared in Blue Earth Review (Spring 2010 print issue).
Photo by Simon Clarke
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Theresa Senato Edwards is founder, editor and publisher of Holly Rose Review. She has poems published online at Pirene’s Fountain: A Journal of Poetry, and forthcoming at Touch: The Journal of Healing. Other poems appear in the 2010 print anthology of Boxcar Poetry Review, the 2008 print anthology of CircleShow (SevenCircle Press), and online at Stirring, Press 1, decomP, Clean Sheets, Chronogram, and elsewhere. Edwards seeks a home for her first poetry manuscript, Voices Through Skin, from which the poem, “Lady”, is taken. She also is working with Lori Schreiner on a collaboration of work that can be found online at AdmitTwo, Autumn Sky Poetry, and elimae, an electronic literary magazine. Her third book of poetry, tentatively titled, Sister Sequence, is a work in progress. When she’s not busy writing poetry, Edwards teaches literature and tutors writing at Marist College.
[Poetry Break Editor Note]
Comments
42 responses to “Lady”
Fabulous Teresa. I know a thing about the mentally ill, and you beautifully captured the pain, loss and confusion that they must feel. Brava!
SH
Thank you so much for reading, Susan, and I hope you are well.
Theresa
I admire the way you have married imagery from nature with life on the streets. Wonderful work!
Thank you so much for reading, Jayne. And I'm so glad our paths have met because of poetry and Holly Rose Review!
Theresa
Theresa,
I love this poem. The images are so visceral to me, especially "stops to suck the rain." It's a beautiful portrait poem, as well.
I love you, TT!!!
Thank you, Lane, and love you, too! Friends in Life ~ Friends in Poetry.
Theresa
Friends in Life ~ Friends in Poetry 🙂
What powerful, mysterious portraits — of both your friend and his mother.
Thank you for reading, Mike. And I hope you are hanging in there!
Theresa
I can hear the thumping, squeaking wheel of the cart: a sound (and two people) at once familiar and dissonant. Terrific!
Thank you so very much, Thomas!
Theresa
Glad to see this published–it's a powerful description of the hard, almost impossible work of loving someone with a mental illness. I love the water imagery–that river bottom feels cool and clean and permanent. Good writing!
Thanks so much, Rhonda; the river bottom is one of those paradoxical places, isn't it???
So glad that our paths, as well, have met because of poetry and Holly Rose Review!
Theresa
How talented and gifted you are! More! Where is your book? Such God inspired work! You and your poems are heaven sent…..Jeannine
Neenie,
Thank you so much for all your love and support of both me and my writing!
Theresa
Here I go with my own info:
Neenie,
Thank you so much for all your love and support of both me and my writing!
Theresa
ps–and, i know, because you're so busy, i'm glad you took the time to comment, even if it was on my own computer! love ya!
Brilliant the way this poem reaches out, then recoils into itself. Stark and unyielding imagery, and beautiful.
Tzynya,
Thanks so very much for reading, appreciate your own reaching out!
Theresa
Oops….
So my wonderful friend responded on my computer, and I forgot to change her info to mine. Sorry….here we go again:
Tzynya,
Thanks so very much for reading, appreciate your own reaching out!
Theresa
Theresa,
Wonderful, touching poem, and of course, so well crafted!
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Eric. I hope you and yours are well. It's been quite some time since Goddard!
Theresa
Oops….
Thank you so much for reading and commenting, Eric. I hope you and yours are well. It’s been quite some time since Goddard!
Theresa
Wonderful poem Theresa! Very moving!
Wow, Mitch! Thanks so much for reading my poem. Hope all is well.
Theresa
Such a beautiful poem and captures the sadness of the situation. So perfectly crafted. Lovely.
Thanks so much for reading, Karen, appreciate your comments.
What a beautiful poem. I love reading the things that you write. I'm lucky that I can spell let alone write poetry!!!!
You spell just fine! Thanks for reading and commenting on my poem. Love ya!
‘Love the compassion in this poem, which reveals an unexpected beauty.
Thank you very much for reading, Jan. And forgive me for asking, but do we know each other from Goddard, as I see you have a Goddard e-mail? I’m so sorry that I don’t recognize your name, but I so appreciate your comment to my poem.
Theresa
Theresa,
This poem is ridiculously beautiful and wrenching, both. Gorgeous work.
Christine,
Thank you, as always, for reading my work and for all that you do for poetry. I’m grateful…
Theresa
I was thrown by what reads as faulty parallelism in S3L4. It was hard for me to get back on track after that. For what it's worth, as they say.
And yet, there you were at the end of the poem. Sorry you weren't able to get back on track, but I thank you for reading.
Theresa
That was great Theresa! I’m glad I got to read a piece of you poetry, very touching.
And I'm glad you got a chance to read the poem, Ains! Thanks so much.
Theresa
Great one Tess, very powerful and moving. Keep it up! Looking forward to reading Sister Sequence!
Thanks very much for reading and commenting, Faye. "Sister Sequence" is a bit more experimental, so we'll see what evolves from that process.
Love ya!
Theresa
Theresa,
A beautiful read . . . I'm waiting to pick up and hold your first book in my hands . . .
onward,
Donnelle
Thanks so much, D. Maybe some day with the first book, and yours too!
Yep, onward…
Theresa
Theresa –
Wonderful imagery. I love the raw feeling of the poem. Someone knows the pain of those mothers. That was my grandmother.
Very nice.
Carol Thomas
Carol,
Thanks so much for reading and for commenting. I hope you are well; it’s been quite some time since Goddard!
Theresa