Poetry Friday: A Very Tough Week and Anthology Submissions Update

Rose of Sharon in my parent’s yard. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2023.

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

Old and new. A blossom in the garden at my parents. © Carol Labuzzetta, 2023.

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):

Poetry Friday: A Famous Poem and a New Anthology

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

22 thoughts

  1. As I am reading this, I just received a call that my mother fell and is in the ER. I think she is ok but I’m waiting to hear. We are never ready to lose our parents. I started a document of grief poems. Some I keep there. Some I have posted. I won’t say that writing is healing but it is transforming. It can take the loss and reframe it into something creative and beautiful. I pray for you and your family as you process your loss. It shocks me that a bowel blockage could do this. My mother had one a few months ago but her caregiver was able to deal with it. I plan to send you a poem or two. Do you have a deadline?

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    1. Oh, Margaret, no! I hope your mom is okay! Right now everyone seems to be coping but I know I will eventually fall apart – probably after I go home and leave my dad. I am so afraid he’ll be lonely in this rambling ranch they both still lived in. My mom had myasthenia gravis and that made her ineligible for surgery. Sometimes bowl obstructions do resolve spontaneously too, but her blood pressure kept getting lower and lower- a side effect of the pain meds most likely. She passed away less than an hour after my Dad snd sister left her side at dinner time on Monday. Thank you for your prayers and condolences. I would be so happy to have you submit poems for the anthology. The deadline is November 1st. You have plenty of time. I hope you had a good first day of school and your mom is unhurt from her fall. Take care. And, thank you!

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  2. Oh, Carol! Deepest condolences. My mom’s been gone for six years, but a day doesn’t go by that I don’t miss her. There’s so much I wish I could tell her and ask her. It sounds trite, but treasure all of the memories. I hope your dad finds support.

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    1. Mary Lee, Thank you so much! Fortunately, my parents live in a place with great neighbors. They will check on my Dad, probably daily. I am also going to gently suggest the YMCA after I do a little investigating. Near us there’s a group of elderly that can be found in the lobby of the Y in the morning visiting and playing cards.

      Thanks much for your kind thoughts. The fact she’s gone will take some getting used too.

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  4. Oh, I am so, so sorry. I’ve been there, too. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how old they are, you are never ready for the death of a parent. My dad will have been gone 7 years this September, and not a day goes by that I don’t think of him and miss him. ❤

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  5. Carol, my condolences on the loss of your dear mama. I love that you and Pam have long marriages from their good example of 64 years. Wow. Much peace to you during this transition time. It is never time to lose someone so dear. Peace and blessings to you.

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  7. Carol, losing your Mom is so terribly difficult. I’m sorry. Keep writing when you can and be as gentle with yourself as you can in this new life. I’m sending you my sympathy and hope for a good time with your family.

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  8. Carol, I’ll be holding you in my heart. I am glad you have the anthology to work on — it can be good to have a project of your own, separate from the many feelings you are dealing with.

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    1. Tabatha, Thank you so much. I have to tell you that the summer poetry swap has been a God-send for me. And I am sure the anthology will keep me busy enough to help and keep me from dwelling on the grief we are experiencing.

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  9. Carol, I am so, so very sorry. My heart goes out to your family. What a loss –to lose a parent. And I can’t even imagine spending 64 years of your life with someone and experiencing such a loss. My heart goes out to your dad as well.

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  10. Oh Carol, This is heartbreaking. My mom is gone 24 years, I miss her so. I love that you wrote your words down as soon as possible. From there you can revise or not but you have that moment captured. I am so looking forward to submitting to the anthology and am glad that there is time. Be gentle with yourself. Sending love.

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