Mothers And Daughters A Poetry Celebration
|
|
|
|
DANCING PARTNERS
I dance in a cumbersome,
out-sized waltz of new life
in love with my body
as it blooms and hovers
over the tiny being
cradled near my heart
as if already on my lap.
I savor outlandish cravings,
rehearsals for a lifetime of yearnings
on behalf of this becoming-daughter.
Naked in morning sunlight,
I anoint my roundness with oil,
lullabying its nestling, who, in
matching conception and gestation
is growing a new me: her mother.Margaret Anne Huffman
BOND
I am enchanted by this blessed mystery--
why you, of all possible infants,
and I, of all possible mothers,
meet here and now to stare with wonder
deeply into one another's eyes.Maureen Tolman Flannery
GROWING DAUGHTER
Oh, how I grip
the back of the sofa
As I watch you bob
and weave
and eventually tumble
Cautious first steps
must be your own
The hardest part
of that lesson
is mine aloneMary Maude Daniels
GIFTS
Of all the small things we are given to love --
new grass, acorns, the mystery of seeds,
February's warm breath, raspberries, lilacs in the spring --
I love you most of all
because you have given them back to me.
A keen eye for the moon,
gentle fingers tracing a sidewalks crack,
the lacy web of a fly's wing.
You have taught me to taste the world again,
swallow dry snow,
smell the surprise of the January sun.
You, my small scientist of beauty,
recover the wonder of life
in your open, astonished hands.Sheila O' Connor
MY MOTHER IS THE BEST
My mother's hands are soft
as a cat's fur.
When I hug my mother
she feels like a bird's feathers.
Her kisses and hugs are so big.
They are as big as elephants.
Best of all I love her.Jennifer Shunfenthal, Age 7
INITIATION
Last night, dear daughter,
You cried your first grown-up tears.
Tears that sprang from a broken heart,
You said you could tell the moment it cracked.
These tears weren&'t
Begot by frustration,
Or anger,
Or lack of sleep.
They were tears of initiation.
Tears that told you
The world can be a cruel place,
Life isn't always fair,
and that the cost for living is suffering alone.Last night, dear daughter,
You cried your first grown-up tears.
And, in the darkness,
If you had listened,
You would have heard
The echo of my heart cracking, too.Joan Shea O'Neal
NEW LIFE
My daughter's belly
moves beneath my hand
The child within her stirring
stirs in me a rush of awe
of mystery
so strong
so primal in its source
I touch infinityMaude Meehan
ROOM FULL OF MEMORIES
I walk into your vacant room.
A slight fragrance of you remains
haunting the air like an icon
on the pages of my memories.
All your personal possessions are gone,
here where I watched you bloom.
Leafing through chapters, my heart sighs.
What good times we shared along with bad.
I see you there, a charming baby,
then as the pages turn quickly
you're a high school beauty having fun.
I can't stop the tears flowing from my eyes.Joy and pain stored as souvenirs,
guilt and pleasure mixed together.
If I could only change the print
I'd erase our foolish mistakes.
I lay aside the memory book.
Life consists of laughter and tears.Parenting has come to an end
and how I lament its passing.
I shall miss sitting on your bed
talking with you in the evening,
rubbing your back and stroking your head--
but you are leaving as my friend.Judy Barnes
A MOTHER'S DAY GRACE It's an impossible job
No one can ever do it perfectly
Be willing to accept that there is no success or failure here
Let us give up the burden of unreal expectations
Let us cherish what is and nourish each others dreams
Let us remember the best and forgive the rest
Allow all the love that may have
slipped into tight places free now
to illuminate the harmony
that always existed
at the very center
of our heartsArlene Gay Levine
REVIEW: A touching, tender compendium of fresh
voices on the relationship that so often makes us feel
speechless with awe, rage, and love. A lovely gift for
mothers, daughters and grandmothers and especially those who
are all three!
REVIEW: By gathering contributions from
seven-year-olds as well as grandmas, lay poets as well as
professionals, Cotner has achieved something that has eluded
many others: bringing the world of poetry to the average
reader.
REVIEW: . . . in Mothers and Daughters, I found
grit, realism and genuine emotion. I found fine writing. I
found challenging ideas. There are some tear-jerkers here,
but Cotner maintains a good balance and keeps things from
turning into a pity party . . . It was a great idea to
include the work of young girls--their voices add an
important dimension to the book as a whole.
REVIEW: The poets represented within this
compilation relate to the readers like close friends, as
they reflect on their most intimate thoughts and feelings.
Many of them are award-winning poets, but the collection
also includes some lesser-known writers with amazing insight
and poignancy. This anthology describes all the wondrous
life-changing experiences in a womans life . . . June
Cotners poetry selections, all beautifully crafted and
accessible, alternate between conjuring up emotions of joy
and elation to times of sadness and tears to virtual
laugh-out-loud honesty and wit. From this reflective
collection, readers will gain a deeper understanding and
appreciation for the unique bond women share -- a special
keepsake meant to be revisited and shared time after
time. REVIEW: It's difficult to believe, but June Cotner
has done it again--produced yet another successful and
beautiful collection . . . Mothers and Daughters is
sure to be a best seller for Mother's Day, baby showers,
adoptions, etc. With Cotner's sure and gentle hand, each
poem included here is perfect for the theme . . . All
readers and fans of Cotner's will be eager to add Mothers
and Daughters to their gift list.
REVIEW: . . . Expect to be transported through a
kaleidoscope of moods, feelings and memories. Your mother,
your daughter, your experiences as a daughter and as a
mother--all will accompany you on this poignantly presented
journey to the soul of womanhood. June Cotner has created an
absolutely lovely book for women--sweet without being overly
sentimental.
REVIEW: . . . June Cotner gives her readers a
heart-opening look into our first and probably most defining
relationship. Mothers, daughters, grandparents (and sons and
husbands who want to gain an intimate understanding of the
women in their lives) will be enlightened and entertained by
this thoughtful, generous collection . . . Reading these
poems is a gift to oneself; the treasure of insights so
artfully crafted into literature links us with the humanity
of others while it illuminates our own experiences in
revealing ways. By all means buy this book for your mother,
daughter, or maybe, most importantly, yourself.
REVIEW: Mothers and Daughters reveals the
whole breadth and depth of the mother-daughter bond as only
poetry can. From pregnancy to toddlerhood, adolescence to
leaving home, grandmotherhood and beyond, and every passage
in between, this collection captures the voices of mothers
and daughters as they write about the most moving moments in
their times together.
REVIEW: Mothers come in all shapes, sizes, colors
and dispositions--yet they all have one central need that
they seem to inherit from their own mothers, grandmothers,
great-grandmothers back to Eve. They are born to mother . .
. June Cotner created a book of poems to reflect how mothers
and daughters pass on this incredible legacy . . .
REVIEW: The bond between mothers and daughters
flows from generation to generation like liquid silk, as
strong as steel yet delicate as a spider's web. Perhaps only
a poet can do it justice . . . Mothers and Daughters
was compiled by June Cotner, who arranged more than 100
poems from women around the country into life's various
stages . . .
REVIEW: . . . a collection of extraordinary poetry
that celebrates the experience of being a mother and
daughter during every phase of life . . . |
|
|