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GRANDMOTHER
She never was the same after
her husband died in Brazil.
I remember that summer
because I was given
a new pink wastepaper basket,
an early birthday present,
just before the shrill ring
startled us.
After the call, everyone spoke
in tears and whispers.
I was afraid and spent hours
sitting by that pink wastepaper basket.
Now when I see it,
I remember the suffocating summer heat,
the viscous quicksand mud from the rains,
and most of all, the pall
of mute sorrow that entered the house
through the small black telephone
on the hall table.
Gina Browning, singer of classical music, has performed opera and chamber music around the world. A member of Voices of Change ensemble in Dallas, Texas, she currently specializes in new music. Her other passions include gardening, writing, skiing, and overseas travel. Ms. Browning is also the author of a book of love poems entitled Roses of Heart. She lives with her husband and son in Dallas and in Santa Fe, New Mexico. "Grandmother" is from Browning's book, Wind in the Aspens (Hummingbird Productions, 2009). (December 2008)
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