family · poetry

Inheritance

Sally

In
Eighteen
Ninety-four
Great-grandmother
Pedersen arrived
In the United States
From Denmark with three dollars
And four children under the age
Of seven to join her husband who
Was a tailor working outside Boston

Her super-power: hospitality
Her home became a hub where Danish
Women gathered to drink coffee
And converse with each other
Without all the mental
Gymnastics that go
With translation
They relaxed
And smiled
[sigh]

My
Mother
Received that
Super-power
Hosting dinners and
Welcoming newcomers
And people in need to our
Home, church, and the community
She made it look so very easy
I thought I had missed that DNA

One day I was sitting at my desk when
A person peeked around the corner
“Can I talk to you?” he asked me
“Of course,” I said, so he came
In the office and told
Me a small story
A wee sliver
Of something
That was
large

I
sat and
I listened
To his words, awed
That he had chosen
Me to share his thoughts with
One day a woman sat down
With me and she started to cry
She told a wee sliver of her story
And I listened, gently holding her tale

They come. I listen. So many people
Some sad, some angry, some joyful, some tired
They all share different stories
“You should get paid for this,”
One man said to me
He doesn’t know
It is my
Super-
Pow’r

This is a double etheree times three. Does that make is a sextuple etheree?

An etheree is a syllabic poem — 10 lines with syllable counts 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. A double etheree has 10 more lines, counting back down 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

For the record, I work at a gym and when I’m in the office, I sell memberships.

And listen.

This is in response to this week’s W3 prompt: Write a poem of any style and any length on the topic of “Power.”

Unknown's avatar

Published by Sally

17 thoughts on “Inheritance”

  1. People who work in sales and customer service are often the best unpaid therapists. I love what you did here and how you fit the story into the etheree form. Nicely done 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks! That aspect of my job is more customer service than sales because they come to me wanting to purchase something. I just try to find the best fit for them — and I suppose that involves listening. It’s the times they come to my office afterwards for no reason than to talk that I love the best.

      Reply

  2. This is beautiful and I love both your slivers of your’s and your mum’s story.
    I love your super powers , my mum always welcomed waifs and strays into our house, fed them listened to them…. I try to be a listener too.
    Thank you for sharing such a work of art ….your poetic sliver. 💜💜💜😃

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Willow. My mom always had people into our home — something I never do because I’m too keenly aware of my lack of housekeeping skills. But they can come in my office any time. I love that!

      Reply

    1. Honestly, it’s just part of me. One day I wasn’t in the office, but was at the front dest. A woman came and started talking to me. She told me about her kids, her life, the heavy worries she was carrying. After a good 20 minutes, she left for her swim. My co-worker said, “What was THAT all about?” “She just needed to talk,” I said. “I could NEVER listen to all that,” she said — and that’s when I realized that maybe it was something special. I love listening.

      Reply

  7. What an absolute gift of a super power you and your family have….may it continue through the generations to come 💞💞💞 Beautifully written, Sally! 💞💞💞

    Reply

  10. A sympathetic ear is a rare thing now days. Active listening is a super power! Love the etheree /reverse etheree sequence – a perfect vehicle for your story through generations!

    Reply

Leave a comment