aging southern belle
matriarch of the river
beckons me homeward
* * * * *
Summer 2009
the day of my father’s memorial service
three cars full of family members drive out to the old house
at the end of the road Read the rest of this entry »
blue eyes pierce spring sky
join me on the river boat–
making our way home
* * * * *
Easter Morning 1949, sixty-five years ago today, Diane was born–Sister #3 with brilliant, piercing blue eyes. On February 13, 2006, Diane died after living with ALS for ten years. Read the rest of this entry »
moss-laden oaks loom
magenta azaleas blaze
deep south path through woods
* * *
Late summer, 1950
It’s past midnight
I’m asleep with Sisters #2 and #3
Are we almost there?
Mother’s tired voice wakes me up
Nothing but darkness outside
and cobwebby stuff hanging from tree limbs
A log-cabin tavern fades into view
Neon beer ads flicker on parked cars, old trucks
Daddy reluctantly stops for directions
He goes into the tavern.
Are we lost?
No. We just aren’t there yet.
Daddy drives slowly
No street lights no signs
The old road is dark, narrow, mysterious
Mossy oaks loom overhead reflecting
weak rays of yellow light from car headlights
Weary shacks line the road
Unexpectedly we pass grand fenced-in wooded lots with driveways to nowhere
Then modest houses and a few larger houses
The road ends abruptly.
Daddy stops, gets out, peers at the giant mailbox
He turns into the driveway
We’re there.
Deep South
moss-laden oaks, no blazing azaleas
Just heavy humid air, wealth next door to poverty, fiercely guarded secrets
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 10 March 2014
Google image – Springtime in Savannah, Georgia
passing through
silent white headstones
urge me on
* * * * *
Sister #3
who showed me
how to live and how to die
My Colleague
who told his family story
with tears streaming down his face
My Piano Teacher
who knew me inside out
and told me I needed a boyfriend
My Mother
who began to know me
inside out and longed to know more
My Brother-in-Law
who never told anything
but the full blunt-naked truth about life
My Theology Professor
who encouraged me to speak in
my distinct voice without shame or apology
My Quaker Employer
who thanked me in writing for
relational gifts I didn’t know I possessed
Members of a Great Cloud of Witnesses
gone in body from this earth
present in my spirit
Haiku written 18 August 2012
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 4 March 2014
thick roots tangled knots
barely hanging onto bank
drink deep waters
* * *
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 2 January 2014
Photo credit: DAFraser, October 2012
Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon
Telling the Truth 