Slice of Life 2019: Day 28
At 12,
my papa took me to a park.
I have something to tell you,
he said.
Before your mother,
I was married.
I have two daughters
from that time
and you will meet them
today.
Emotionless,
I opened my purse,
pulled out a mirror
and combed my hair.
Now a blur,
the drive across town
was an eternity of
roof tops and roads.
Soon,
a small home appeared
with no trees.
My heart was a leaky faucet
dripping a rapid beat
as I mounted the steps.
I, platinum
longing to see my reflection
of lips, eyes or shape
in the two women who approached me
saw
only shadows and lines
of some distant awareness.
I entered their cave
of words and memories
and left that strange den
certain, solitary,
and absolutely an only child.
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All I can say is that must have been a very tough day. Your poem is full of the emotions you felt.
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Wow. I can’t imagine this. At the same time, I am jealous, as I was never able to meet the daughter my father had from his first marriage. Like you, I don’t think I would have felt sisterhood with her, but I would have wanted that moment of meeting. But whoa. At 12?! Such a hard an impossible age. I love that your response was to take out your mirror and comb your hair. I could feel that so strongly, feel the emptiness, the fidgety-ness of needing to do something with your hands. Beautiful.
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Yes, that must have been a tough meeting. I of course knew them when they were born. Yet, to not know about them until you were 12 had to rough.
I have a half brother and two half sisters, but I grew up knowing them. No, even though we all had the same dad, we are all different.😊 Love, Aunt Lee.
PS Your hair always looks nice. 😍
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I am one of those sisters you met that day. And I too never felt a sister bond. But as I have grown up and have grandkids now I look back and wish I could know you better. I thought you knew about us,. I never thought about how you must have felt. It was weird for us because our father never raised me and my sister Joyce so I don’t even know him other than his name. I remember that day. I believe you had on bib overalls. I was checking out your lips eyes and ears too. I thought you looked like Joyce but now I think you look like me. Same lips and eyes. When my 3rd grandson was born 4 years ago I looked you up on Facebook because I thought he looked like the Boles side of my lost family. And he does. My (our) sister Joyce has a son who looks a lot like your son. I grew up knowing about you but not knowing you.
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Hi Penny! I’m so glad you saw this and responded. I would like to know you and your family. And, to see you again. We can fill in some of these gaps, which we both have a lot from that time. Ill msg you on FB and we can talk more. Thank you so much for your response.
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I chatted with Penny this morning. I also lost track of her.
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