109 Comments
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Kathy Ortiz's avatar

So much stolen, in so many ways.

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Paula Trucks-Pape's avatar

Thank you. I have sometimes imagined my grandfather, who died alone in a hotel for vagrants a few days before my father was born, in this way. And the title inspires a writing prompt for a writing group that I have yet to gather.

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Juanita Priest's avatar

Reading, and listening to your work has made me a better writer.

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Mary OMalley's avatar

Thank you ! What a lovely poem and tribute. We all I think have the family spirits folks we don’t know but know in a strange way. I never had anything like that and in my generation. But yes to the possible adoption I did encounter that one and I think sometimes of Jacob Marley and the chains he wore forged by his greed whereas I because of the storytelling in my family have these shadow human and many names of small stories. Brief instances like the sound of of a closing door.Perhaps more a laurel image of leaves in a wreathed circle - a better metaphor.

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Maureen C. Berry's avatar

Oh Sherman. What a beautiful tribute to your sister. You draw us into the what-ifs and maybes and I don’t knows brilliantly. Thank you.

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Elaine S.'s avatar

Your poem touched me greatly. I was adopted by a loving white family. However, my adopted mom was an alcoholic and I am a survivor of sexual abuse from a familymember. I found my birth family in 2012 and learned how lucky I was to have my adopted family. I guess no family is perfect.

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Leslie Gelb's avatar

Boy, can you write! I traveled your story word by word.. that was amazing … ❤️

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Steve McKennon's avatar

this is one of the most beautiful things i have read by you, i imagine it cost you something to put this down and make it live like it does.

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Linda Loegel Hemby's avatar

Thank you for sharing that poem and your deepest thoughts. It reminds me of one of my books called Saving Lou where Lou is born a twin but the twin dies three days after birth. Lou spends his life thinking about Larry and how perfect he would have been compared to Lou who can't seem to do anything right. Larry is always on Lou's mind, just as Linda Sue is on your mind.

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Simon Brooks's avatar

sigh. you write so deeply and with such empathy and in a universal all of us can feel, even if we weren't rez born and raised. thank you.

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Ellen Rosenzweig's avatar

Beautiful, universal feeling. Thank you for allowing us to share them.

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Julie Chay's avatar

Thank you.

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Craig Seasholes's avatar

Love and family: gorgeous.

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Joan Randall's avatar

This just blows me away.

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steve huffman's avatar

One of my rotation books is The dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Page 105

Dead reckoning; Finding yourself bothered by someones death more than you would have expected.

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Joseph Schaumberg's avatar

Beautiful Conversation

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