Thursday, February 26, 2009

Voices


I am joining Kelli for Show and Tell Friday again. Go here to see more wonderful treasures. The above drawing, with poem overlaid on it, is framed and hanging in my home. You may have to click on the picture to enlarge it enough to read the poem.

I drew the picture and wrote the poem several years after having visited my mother’s birthplace in Aurora, Nebraska, during a family reunion there in 1984. I wanted to honor my mother’s wonderful storytelling ability and the generations of family historians she represented.

The drawing is of the house where my mother was born in 1929, and lived until she was seven or eight years old, when her family was driven by the “Dust Bowl Era” to move to California. The cellar door, between the bay window and the tree, was open to allow for quick access during an approaching dust storm or tornado. The windmill was a very necessary piece of equipment for a farm in those days to pump water for irrigation.

Each of the stanzas of the poem represents a different segment of time. The first three are from stories of my mother’s early life. The first is her very earliest memory of waking up in a house quieted by everyone else being outside doing chores, and her toddling to the kitchen to find something to eat. The second is a few years later, being fearfully sequestered in the cellar during a dust storm, and her father returning to the family with a mouthful of dust to assure them that it was the hay mower turning over that caused the crashing sound, not the windmill. The third was the painful transition of a Nebraska farm girl to the glitz and prejudices of life in North Hollywood, California.

The fourth stanza represents a transition to her adult life in the Rogue Valley of Oregon, where she is retelling the stories of her early life and of her ancestors. Many a Saturday morning with “plate-sized pancakes” were spent in those reveries! Although by that time my grandparents were gone, and we lived far from most of my mother’s other relatives, my mother had a way of making them come alive. If one of them came walking through the door right now, I would know them instantly!

The fifth stanza represents the time of the family reunion and visiting the homeplace. In the light of the atmosphere and landscape, the history and the personalities that had been attached to it were palpable realities!

The structure of each stanza is similar. The first line introduces the place and the season. The second line says something about the wind. The third line talks about eating. The fourth line mentions the attributes of the voices. The fifth line tells what they said.

Well, I hope my dissection here helps you to appreciate what this piece means to me. Enjoy!

Show and Tell

18 comments:

  1. First, I was born in Nebraska....many, many moons past. I love drawing, and I do a bit myself now and then. So, this particular show n tell was a wonderful trip for me! Awesome work.

    My Show n Tell is posted just now, won't you stop over and sit a spell while I regale the story behind it?

    Have a GREAT weekend.

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  2. Oh Denise, This is so lovely! You are so creative and talented. Have you reprinted that for your family? You should!!

    I had to laugh with the plate-sized pancakes, because that is how my hubby makes them!! The girls call them Daddy's World Famous Pancakes!!

    Such a heartwarming post. I so admire your gifts!!
    Have a blessed weekend! So glad to have met you, Denise!! You and Elena are such treasures. I need to get my sis blogging!!
    Blessings,
    Becky

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  3. Impressive drawing, you have some artistic ability! The poetry is nice too. To be honest, I don't know much about poetry. I guess I should check out a few books from the library. I remember it briefly from school.
    Thanks for sharing a little of your family history. You honored your mother well. She would be proud.I also like your picture of Max cat, he looks quite comfy!
    Brenda
    Brenda

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  4. Oh, I do hope that you have this framed. It's quite nice. Thanks for sharing. Happy Show and Tell Friday!

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  5. What an effort of love and caring this is. Great work!!
    Susan

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  6. Wonderful. You are very talented. Seriously, that is just precious.

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  7. I adore your poem but I am green with envy. I have alway wished I could write but I have such a hard time expressing myself.

    Wonderful job!!

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  8. Wow!!! How precious! What a wonderful heritage to cherish and pass on to your own children.

    Kristine

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  9. This is sooooo good, You are very talented with drawing and also with expressing your thoughts. I throughly enjoyed my visit today.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  10. This is beautiful. I really treasure the framed copy that you gave to me!

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  11. I'm a bit speechless...you are an extremely talented lady.

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  12. What a beautiful poem and picture. To put memories to paper is truely a gift from the Lord. Thanks for sharing!

    Karen

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  13. This is such a gift from God you have been given...so beautiful!

    Blessings,
    Susie

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  14. Wow! That is beautiful! YOu are so talented....multi-talented! What a neat tribute to your grandmother!

    Hugs, sharon

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  15. Wow Denise, that is so neat! Have a blessed Sunday!

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  16. Hi Denise!! Hope you'll be stopping by my blog!! I have a couple of awards waiting for you there!!

    Have a lovely week, dear friend!!
    Blessings,
    Becky

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  17. This is an amazing work of art and a wonderful way to document family history. Just beautiful!
    ~Kelli

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