Friday, October 3, 2014

Stages--By Maureen Sudlow--New Zealand

Stages

Memories of my father are always entangled with memories of the garden. He loved his garden, and often stayed outside until it was too dark to see. I can picture him still – a small, grey man, fingers stained with earth, making his own peace with the world.


concrete steps
an old man rolls cigarettes
with shaking hands

Maureen Sudlow is a member of the New Zealand Poetry Society, and lives in the Kaipara, in the North of New Zealand.  She loves poetry, photography and writing for children.  She has published a children’s picture book Fearless Fred and the Dragon and has written for various on-line journals and magazines.

14 comments:

  1. Maureen, thank you for sharing your inspired poem about your dad. What loving memories it brings to my own mind of my dad who loved to garden and also spent hours In his vegetable garden every summer along with the joy he felt from sharing his accomplishments.

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    1. thank you for those thoughts Charlene
      Maureen

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  2. Your memories are gentle and soft and I love the indentation he has left for you, seeing him in his beloved garden. You probably see the pure joy in his face at the wonders of life! Sheri / www.poetryandbeyond.net

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    1. Yes, the joy of little things
      Maureen

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  3. Maureen... this describes a favored uncle of mine, passed and gone, to a tee. He loved tinkering with old radios and appliances, was very adept at sharpening knives whose better strokes had come and gone, and when the seasons allowed, he would till and toil in his garden. I still miss his tomatoes.

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  4. Hi Maureen. I loved reading and meditating upon "Stages." It reminds me of my maternal grandmother who taught me how to plant and work in the garden when I was a boy. Such great memories. Thank you for sharing and continued blessings!

    -MJ (www.tgbtgpublictions.com)

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    1. and thank you for sharing yours...
      Maureen

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  5. Hi Maureen, Memories are so precious! Etched in our hearts are those special moments we recall of loved ones dear to our hearts. My dad has been gone 19 yrs, my mom 3, & I relish those wonderful memories! Thanks for sharing your poem & the fond memories of your dad in his garden! ~Chris

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  6. Hi Maureen. This is a beautifully crafted haibun. The love for your father is evident in the prose and the images of impermanence in the haiku are very poignant. Thank you for sharing this lovely piece.

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  7. Maureen,
    Beautiful imagery of your Dad in the garden. You can only imagine what type of plants he was harvesting...
    Your new friend,
    David Fox

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