Jackie
Mommy? Grandma?
Why are you crying?
Did I do something wrong?
No, Jackie. No, Punkin'.
It's not you.
We're crying for the bygones.
We're remembering Uncle Jack.
Grandpa's trumpet
was one of the things from home that he took along
with him into the war.
The trumpet didn't come back, and neither did he.
But you're here, so Uncle Jack will live on.
©Mary Lee Hahn, 2016
Mary Lee! I've totally lost track of time, completely drawn into your story in verse. Wow, my friend....just wow!
ReplyDeleteLet's sit down with cups of tea and you can tell me all the little bits of truth woven in and you can tell me the way the characters started talking and the way you kept following them.
I'll bring the scones,
Ruth
Yes, please!
DeleteI love that this one seems to harken back to earlier times in earlier images and poems. It can be confusing to kids when they see us cry and can't quite understand why. What an incredible project!
ReplyDeleteCrying for the Bygones might well be the title of the collection, Mary Lee....
ReplyDelete