We gather 'round the table,
come from afar,
the table that we have circled
for decades, made by one ancestor,
stained black by another,
reclaimed and stripped
to its original beauty by a third.
The food and bubbly and plates
are passed;
we chat and joke,
and ply our forks and knives
with appreciative murmurs.
Everything tastes so good,
enjoyed together.
"Tell us one of your stories, Grandma,"
one of the kids will ask,
eyes fixed on me expectantly,
and I will tell them,
to much laughter,
sometimes a tear,
and many a
"Remember when?"
What we don't talk about
is how each of us
is remembering
the beloved faces
no longer here:
the ones who once made the meals,
and were central to our gathering,
now gone ahead,
their cackles silenced,
and forever missed.
How many more before
I am missing, too?
When that day comes,
I hope the children
will re-tell some of my stories,
will say "Remember when?"
And, if they fall silent
and listen, in the midst of
their laughter and tears,
perhaps they'll hear
a whisper of
Wild Woman's cackle,
echoing faintly
down all the
glistening years.
for Susan's prompt at Midweek Motif: Reunions.
Oh, Sherry. This is fantastic. You took me there. Such merriment and melancholy served at one delicious table.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this:
"we chat and joke,
and ply our forks and knives
with appreciative murmurs.
Everything tastes so good,
enjoyed together."
This is HOME.
This is beautiful luv the backdrop of Wild Woman's cackle, this introspection adds so much depth to the scene
ReplyDeletemuch love...
Hi Sherry, this is a lovely poem, thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThat last Verse is splendid! I am sure the echo will remain along with the stories, wild walking, and collections of poetry. Many many years down the way ...
ReplyDeletehi Sherry, me again, thanks for dropping by to read mine. I was still inputting when you dropped by so you didn't get the haibun prose. If you drop in again, you will now read the completed post
ReplyDeletemuch love...
A beautiful poem. Touching in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteOh Sherry, this reminds me so much of a poem Garrison Keillor read on his program years ago called "Meatballs". I will e-mail you a copy. I so identify with your words!
ReplyDeleteOh my, Sherry you are blessed. What an amazing piece as I too think of my own grandparents, gone and passed on. We used to do the same thing at our dinner table way back when they were well and alive. May the Lord bless you with many more years to be on this earth with your loved ones. Your poem is very touching and thanks for the comment on my own poem. :)
ReplyDeleteYour words resonate in deeply in me. My family has shrunk and at times I'm surprised that my husband and I have the responsibility of being "the elders." And yes, soon perhaps we'll be one of those ancestors, our stories retold. What a lovely, sentimental poem Sherry.
ReplyDeleteThat's what we all hope, that we will be remembered kindly by the people who matter...nicely put Sherry...you write these poems with such ease.
ReplyDeleteI love this,Darling Sherry! May there be many years of your cackle yet!
ReplyDeleteLove, Jane
A beautiful reunion and I am sure your stories will pass from one generation to another. This made me cry a bit, "remember when"
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful reunion. As I read this I was filled with sadness. (knowing that it ended for me)
ReplyDeleteAah...that whisper of a cackle is the sweetest of all. So much beauty lies in the word reunion...wonderfully captivated Sherry.
ReplyDeleteOne to make me smile and cry. You are wonderful at recreating scenes and events.
ReplyDeleteThe juxtaposition of pathos and melancholy in the last stanza with happy memories in rest of the poem floored me, Sherry! I love it:)
ReplyDeleteI am certain that you will always be remembered by your family and will be missed. Just as we miss our elders who have passed. Missing people mean they were loved.
ReplyDeleteechoing faintly' beautiful expressions bringing forth loving home coming memories, ideal happy reunions
ReplyDelete"the ones who once made the meals,
ReplyDeleteand were central to our gathering,
now gone ahead,
their cackles silenced,
and forever missed."--ah, yes! Ancestral houses and family reunions hold so much memory that you simply can’t let it go. More than the value of the material stuff that the house contains, it is the rare privilege of being able to go back to the old days when the family was still complete that makes it truly valuable for the next generations. Beautiful poem, Sherry!
I have a feeling that Wild Woman's cackle will live on for generations to come!! Ah, I know what you mean about those reunions....sad without those who are no longer with us for sure.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm sure that more than a whisper of Wild Woman's cackle will be heard through the years! I love this description of a family reunion, something that I wish I could pull off with my own family. I tried to do so a couple of years ago, but, sadly, no one was interested.
ReplyDeleteSherry, great poem about the reunion and cycle of family, and how we're inevitably a part of it.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt your tales will be told to generations to come. How true it is that we enjoy a meal more with family, and keep silent about those we miss so terribly.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful hope for remembrance. I hope for that too. Tears here.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the 'cackles'. In the spirit of the Universe, the Native Indian says;'...the sounds (cackles)made by the living are carried in the wings of the 'mariposa' and reside in the Universe for eternity'.
ReplyDeleteWonderful reflection mi amiga