A stylish lass in up-to-date clothes,
but where was she? I wonder who knows.
The photo is marked “1962” –
the fountain’s a clue; is it known to you?
It seems like a special view.
What is she thinking of?
Maybe she’s falling in love…
another of her new boyfriends.
Is he the one aiming the lens?
Is she thinking to make amends?
She fled from Australia, feeling a failure,
tied as a young mother to four.
Leaving children behind
for her own peace of mind,
she walked right on out the door,
looking for something – much more.
Although it’s not plain to see,
she’s the birth mother of ME.
Maybe her chin? Her cheek-bones? Her nose?
A little of each, I suppose.
She looks happy, I see, in the Land of the Free.
I try to be kind as it crosses my mind,
did she think of those she left behind?
Across the divide I cannot decide.
She’s dead now, so I’ll never know
just why she needed to go.
About the photo:
One of my half-sisters sent me a copy of this photo last year. It is one of the few photos I have of my mother. She walked out on a marriage and 3 daughters in Australia in 1953. I was the 4th daughter, the youngest. I was the product of an affair and was then adopted into another family. Mother went to America, but I don't know where. Maybe you recognise the monument or fountain shapes in the background? If you can help, I'd be interested to know where the photo was taken.
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| Writing Prompt |
Look at some old photographs and write about a memory or a thought that they give you. If possible (not required) include the image in your poem. |
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Memories
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