It’s been a hard week. On Sunday afternoon my sister called to let me know my mom had been taken by ambulance to the hospital with severe abdominal pain. She was admitted with a small bowel obstruction and passed away Monday in the late afternoon. She was 85, just short of her 86th birthday which was to be later this month.
On Tuesday, I started my travels to reach my father and sister where my parents lived in Western New York for their entire lives. Thankfully, my sister was with my Dad shortly after my mom was admitted and for the next two days, while I traveled from Wisconsin to reach them.
My mom still lived with my dad in their own home. And despite nearly losing her two years ago, in the fall of 2021, this was a shock. I won’t go into any more details now. I know many of you have been through this before.
All I can say is that nothing ever prepares you for this – the loss of a parent.
I started a poem based on a dream my dad had the night after she passed away. It is a very rough draft but I’ve found that I must put words down when they come to me – as imperfect as they might be – before I lose the thought.
When You Arrived
When You arrived at Heaven's gate, Everyone was there to greet you. Your parents, Dorothy and Charles, Aunt Helen, Esther, and Glenice, too. All the people that loved you, And none, too few. When you arrived at Heaven's gate, A prayer was said for those left behind. Your husband of 64 years, two daughters, Carol and Pam, married long each following the example set by you and Dad. Five grandchildren - now all young adults of whom you were proud. As a teacher, so many lives you touched. Thirty some years of third grade, You were stuck on them and their endless Curiosities. You passed on your love of words, books, and puzzles, your love of writing poems and rhyme. Robin Hood, Medieval castles, and cowboys in the West. Indian Princesses, like Mary Jemison, and the Three-Sisters-Gardens of those who stole her and then, won her heart. All this and more you passed on before passing Heaven's gate. This is what Dad saw in his dreams after you died. A welcome to Heaven by family who waited for you with open arms at Heaven's Gate. © Rough Draft, Carol Labuzzetta, 2023
Picture Perfect Poetry Anthology Update
The link for submissions to my ekphrastic poetry anthology for ages 10 and up went live 8/1/23.
The description of the anthology including the guidelines are posted in last week’s Poetry Friday post, but I will link them again here (below).
There is a page for submissions and the link for the anthology guidelines on my blog’s menu now. It is running across the page, just below the header photography and says, Ekphrasic Poetry Anthology Submissions. You can reach the pages for the anthology by clicking that as well.
Unfortunately, there is a glitch on the submissions page. Where I had posted three file upload boxes for the photographs that match your poems, it is not showing on the published blog. I thank Marcie Flinchum Atkins, an author and Poetry Friday participant, for to alerting me to this and not letting it deter her submissions.
I will work on resolving this issue, but as you can tell by my above post, my time is currently limited as I am supporting my dad through this time of grief in our family.
In the meantime, you can still submit the poetry through the submissions page, and then email your photos to me at labcar81@gmail.com, making sure you follow directions for labeling your photos with the coordinating poem’s title, as stated on the submission page.
Guidelines Page (go to the middle of the post where you see a download button):
Submission Page:
https://wordpress.com/page/theapplesinmyorchard.com/42811
Thank you for your interest and submissions in this project that will put more nature poetry into the world! I hope to hear from many Poetry Friday friends!
It is Poetry Friday! Today’s host is Mary Lee Hahn at Another Year of Reading. She speaks of her love for the Earth and taking care of our Earth home, something I share with her wholeheartedly. Thank you for hosting, Mary Lee.
You can catch the rest of my musings on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@carollabuzzetta
The Apples in My Orchard 
Leave a comment