Four Generations Villanelle For Joan
by
At her age I’d hope I'm more sincere
after a lifetime tempered by revision,
with patience inherited from my mother
whose face in mine lines now appear.
I hit hereditary milestones with precision.
At this age I’d expect to be more sincere,
political views and love not reflexive veneer—
strong enough to withstand subtle derision,
an art form inherited from my mother,
who had the reflexive ability to disappear,
and was seldom wracked by indecision.
By this age I really should be more sincere,
imperfections not too fractured or severe
enough to race destiny to cosmic collision.
My mother was the daughter of another
who liked to fabricate, and engineer,
not comfortable with societal division.
If I reach her age I hope I’m more sincere
for in the end... I am my mother's daughter.
.
34 comments:
and there is something to be said for genetics.. i have spent the majority of my life estranged from my mother,, and even still on the few occasions we actually do see each other... i am so much like her i cannot believe it.
Kind of scary when you look in the mirror one day and discover you look just like your mother... and grandmother!
I love the pic. Aren't those old hairdos fun?
My genes are more mixed, not only from my mother. When it comes to looks, I actually resemble the younger sister of my father's mother most. And I want that fin die siècle dress she wears on that one pic.
Great pic!
Glad I'm not in it.
After Kirkwood and the farm,that place was fun to visit and run wild.
Just was talking about your Mom this morning. A sweet, gentle lady with an undercurrent of spunk. Wish you lived closer Connie! Just as a side note, I think I take after my Dad in a lot of ways, and I didn't really realize it until after he passed. Now your brother is "reaping" the effects of those genetics! Hehee! Hope you have a happy Easter.
Great photo! That era is so special in that respect. The photos have such depth and are so distinct.
You expressed the feelings that most of us can relate to, very well.
Glad I stopped by.
Gabriele - My hairdo is pretty much the same as it was then! *g*
Yikes, my german-english dictionary choked on fin die siècle. :) but I get the idea.
What's scarier, is my son's baby pictures look exactly like Anon's baby pictures...
Anon (1) - I noticed you weren't in it, and David was! Hiding behind the dog, his specialty. Wasn't that taken at Nanna's house? You know, the scary, mafia chasing woman I'm named after? :P
Kirkwood still ranks #1 with me, then the farm. Then South Mountain.
Anon2 (NonnyMoose!)
So how did my mother end up with two stubborn, obnoxious kids like me and Anonymous? *g* I'd live closer if your taxes were lower. Can't afford to move back!I think Anon takes after Dad... except for Anon's funny accent of course.
The Corgis say Hi!
Geraldine - I love old family photos, mine or anyone else's. Glad you found something in the poem. Thanks for stopping by.
NaNa's(and ThaTha's)house....Monroe St,off Fairview Ave on the East side.
You mean "Mill Hill",South Mtn is west towards Suny.
That is one of my favorite places too.
While you were riding your horse(s),I was riding my dirt bike.
I only vaguely remember Nanna's house...
Yeah, up Mill Hill, Devil's Elbow, all that. Roaming about the woods. :)
Usually, you were riding your dirt bike around my horses! That's how I learned my rodeo skills, trying to stay on while they bucked!
The hell you say!!!!
Well,maybe once.
PESKY GNAT OF A BROTHER!
I think Nonny Moose could produce a few additional witnesses to your dirk bike peskiness, Anon. :)
That photo is truly something to cherish.
And I too see that I am getting more and more like my mom as each day passes by.
dancing comes full circle
"imperfections not too fractured or severe"
hmm imperfections are part of life..I like that you said one needs to make sure its not severe, It kind of made me feel its a part.. and we can never get rid of it
excellent choice of words
Guess which one is the author.
Hint....dark haired apprehensive looking little trollop next to white fur.
gautami - I hope that's a good thing!
rambler - thanks! Fractured imperfections tend to spread... so that's why I hope they aren't too severe. :P
Tsk, Anon, you need a muzzle! Ah well, at least you didn't call me a troll, dwarf, or banana slug.
I think you have gnome tendencies.
Happy Easter!
Anon - garden or traveling?
Did you get NonnyM a bunny for Easter? I could hook you up with a corgi, just in case...
Moose nonny has a cat that acts like a dog and a bunny at times,so we're covered,thanks!
Re the first question,a literary gnome,the most sarcastic kind...
Heheheheee, Karma for Anon... sarcasm surrounds him! He needs a visit from the Keester bunny!
Anon, at least I'm in good company. I think....
Nonny - Counting on you to apply foot in the proper region!
Ah, the photo is spectacular - looks like the front porch on my first house...and I recognize a few hair styles as well. Like a deja vu, for me! Nicely done!
Tumblewords - hope it was a good deja vu!
I wish my mum was alive so I could compare...
sigh!
It's so strange. Last night at Easter dinner we were discussing who in the family looked like who. In the end it comes down to this: turn a certain angle and you look like one person. Gain or lose weight and you look like another. But there's no escaping your family when it comes to genetics! :p
I certainly hope I look like my mom. At 60 she has NO WRINKLES!!
whitesnake- me too... which is where the poem comes from.
meghan - Could be worse, I could look like my father... *g* With the goatee and gray hair, he looks a bit like a Marxist revolutionary right now!
My mom looked way younger than her age. I'll take those genes!
and one day we wake up and find we are very much like our mothers! i look like her, i have her mannerisms, i smile like her, i have her aura and disposition: i'm a clone! funny story, she was the matriarch of my family and she was a tiny, little thing who was a powerhouse that everyone was afraid of and loved so much at the same time. she had so much love to give, yet she was no pushover. today, because I am her, it seems, many are afraid of me....heheh!
rebecca - cool story! Are you really that scary? *g*
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