Jane Hulstrunk
Response
Along with the Doll
By Channie Greenberg
Inspiration piece
Too hastily, along with the doll tossed last year,
She rooted in familial stock, made pride in heritage.
Her harbor of helpful bits, that social sanctuary, mental
Vicinity, where bedrooms of critical thinkers dared not stalk,
Remained a place in which ambitions got written off.
Such a gal’s imperfect blathering of truth recalled no
Ongoing telepathic events or even fiduciary appreciations;
There, parental exaltations waited, as did isolated, yet fashionable
Ways and means for completing chores, excluding gleaning “hakobe,”
In other words, not counting the gathering, dicing of “star chickweed.”
Experiences around her table, likewise, most often separated
Squishy private parts from earlier suffered thirsts. Rubrics mattered.
Girly lingered far from ignorance concerning: sentience excuses,
Snarls in spider webs, antique musettes, horses suffering spavin,
Marital infidelities, somebody’s wee kitten pulled from the loch.
Similarly, she stored vegetables and whole grain crackers,
Utilizing tiny plasticware, proving entertainment for her kids, forgetting
Folding laundry, sweeping floors, fancying dubious enterprises.
Family function necessitated pairing individual slices, some greens,
Pulp, charif, wise guy remarks, dead flowers, also laconic talk.
After all, horrible, chemically-laden grocery store shampoos,
Usually obfuscated by general domestic mayhem,
Lacked no power to remove lice, even to clean properly.
Without associated fortifications, her toddlers stumbled.
“Time out,” minus toys, continued on important in shared life.
One Comment
This is like a series of images all tied together in Jane’s photo. A wonderful journey through maternal struggles across the way or right next door. I like the way you two work together!