deedeewisdom

A note of thanks
To my sister dear
On this the day
Of her 85th year

As a little girl
You gave me love
In early morn
I would seek your hug

And as time goes by
With its ebb and flow
We’ve been able to
Ensure that our friendship would grow

So happy birthday
Enjoy your day
May God’s Grace
Continue to come your way!

May 14, 2021
Love, your sister Diane (DeeDee)

My body has changed
In a radical way
For many years I thought
The youth would just stay
Now as I start my 74th year
I realize the aches and the pains
Are something to fear

From the first few patters of
My feet on the floor
As the day begins I am so sore
My crippled feet speak loudly to me
And the back, the shoulders, the wrist and the knee

The story’s the same as the day unfolds
The machine is rusty, the joints need oil
When lo and behold!
To the Y do we go!
Within 5 minutes the blood starts to flow

Relief comes to me,
The movement a balm
By mile one I feel the calm
It’s true when they say “Don’t vegetate”
Get out there and move, you’ll better your state!

My beloved and I
Stand at the window
At dusk
Looking for those elusive
Creatures
Of the night

They swoop in quickly
In a flash
Oh dearest, you missed it
There it is
Now gone

Elusive I said
Difficult to see
In the fading light

Yet we persist
Knowing they are there
Our eyes not sharp
Any more

An old age
Date of sort

Together at the door
The twilight glistens

Our old eyes
Hoping to see
Just one

Oh there it is!
We both see it!
The bats eating bugs
Flying over the house

Of two old people
More in love than ever

MY SADNESS

I miss people
I yearn to hug
I yearn for my smile
When I see you
To be seen by you

How long will this separation last?
How long will my wrinkled yet
Beautiful face
Be concealed behind a mask?

the answer to these questions does not matter
Yet I ask them because
My true nature in this world
Is being diminished

Wicked virus
What have you done to us?

Little did I know
Year after year
Attending Handel’s “Messiah”

That your years were numbered
My dear sweet and loving sister Ellie

The long and tedious walk
From the parking garage to Symphony Hall
Harder and harder for you every year

Little did I know that each and every
“Every valley shall be exalted, every mountain and
hill made low, the crooked straight and the rough
places plain”
Was your deep hearted prayer to the Almighty
Who made you in His image and likeness

Your comfort at “His Yoke is Easy and His burden light”
Was beautiful

To the astounding “I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry lands”
Where I watched you tremulous and shaking
Along with the deep-voiced bass

You, beside me, whom I just seemed to
Always take for granted
That you would be there
Year after year

There beside me with your eyes closed
At Symphony Hall,
Communing with your God

“Oh death, where is they sting?
Oh grave, where is thy victory?”

This year both of your sisters were there
Watching, listening
Rejoicing with you,
Oh sister of our hearts.

You went Home to our Lord on 9/20/18.

Love, your sister DeeDee

I was invited to write some “tankas” a form of poetry:

IN SILENCE
In silence she kneels
The morning gives her promise
Time heals all and yet
The wounds of yesterday speak
She hopes her prayers silence them

IN GLORY
In glory and praise
The world wakes from its slumber
Hidden miracles
Await the full sun’s splendor
Secrets unfold in between

BREEZES OF GRACE
Sometimes in silence
We hear the loudest voices
The breeze of grace flows
To open what is our own
And give the world our treasures

THE DRAGONFLY BLOUSE
The dragonfly blouse
When worn brings comments many
“It makes me happy”
Or “It reminds me of Mom”
A dragonfly hat is next

Submitted to the Writers Group at the Richards Library, North Attleboro
Diane Findlen Garrow 12/16

She sat at his bedside
Every morning from 5 to 7am

I came in and she helped me turn him —
Her child
Her heart
Her 16 year old baby
Who was comatose

She asked me how his night had been
Any changes?
Any problems?
Any signs of awakening?

She touched him gently
And kissed his thick brown tussled hair

His body was young and strong
His soccer team had sent
Cards and balloons
The very walls screamed
WHY?

Why at that moment
A month ago
An 18 wheeler went out of control

Why, on that road
On that day
At that hour

This child
Driving alone
Home from soccer practice

Now could not speak to his mother?

And I, his nurse
Helpless
Cared for this precious child

In my hands and with my care
He relied for his life:
The correct medications
At the correct time
Into the tube

The tube that gave him nourishment
As his mother watched
And prayed
And waited

His mother who sat here every morning
Before work
And stayed strong
And hopeful
And never strayed from her belief
That he would come back

I saw her courage
I saw her hope
I saw her love

And he felt her presence

And I, his nurse,
Was honored

To watch this profound lesson

In human love

Diane (Findlen) Garrow

I worked on a head injury unit years ago and I wrote it then. My son was also 16 years old. That experience will stay with me forever

Ode to the Double Tree of Life

Tall and broad your two strong trunks
Gave rise to a mammoth height

A height that brought us shade and
A connection to above

But most of all oh tree of delight
You were the play yard of joy

Where two little boys ran and jumped for joy
Our games always included you

You were the source from which our sabers
Were energized

You were the marvelous majesty of might
To you we looked for strength

Now you are gone

An empty, sunny spot now sits
Missing the games we played

But most of all missing your sweet shade
And deep abiding companionship.

Diane Findlen Garrow
Written in memory of the dear tree that the grandsons played “Chase away the demons from the yard” with Grandma and each time we touched the tree with our swords (the double tree of life had supernatural powers of course), we would run around the parameter of the yard, knowing the “bad guys” were defeated. This picture taken years later of course, the grandboys are pre-teens here in this picture.

7/5/16