Mother-to-Daughter
My mother had a tranquil life the years before my birth,
when I increased her headaches in addition to her girth.
I was a question-asker—a most impertinent child,
and my ever-present inquiries drove my mother wild.
The preponderance of these queries got greater year-by-year.
Why was my reflection backwards when looking in the mirror?
Where did babies come from and where were they before?
When she and daddy went to bed, why did they lock their door?
It wasn’t until later that we seemed to trade places
and then it was my mother who put me through my paces.
Why was I coming home so late? Why was my lipstick smudged?
By the time that I was seventeen, I was the party judged.
Thus did life do a turn-about concerning endless questions,
with the one who was interrogator now doling out confessions.
Prompt word today are preponderance, impertinent, tranquil and birth.
Truth! Love the photos.
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You were quite the beauty. Of course, you still are 🙂
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Such a tender poem, and the photos are uncanny. You are gorgeous, dear Judy!
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I was only 12 when that photo was taken. My sister had “fixed me up” with make-up and her clothes. I made the photo black and white to go with the one of me in a similar pose at age 3. (My sister thinks I was 2 and she’s a better judge as I didn’t know myself until much later..ha. ) The can-can I was wearing in the second shot was violet and the dress was black with little violet blobs on it..Even at that age, I was taller than she was and I was stuffed into those Cinderella shoes.
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This is life, kids are born inquisitive and want to know why! And then when they are growing up to new sensations, parents want to know why. Both your pictures are adorable
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Thanks, Sadje. So glad my 11-year-older sister had a new camera!!!
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You’re welcome.
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I love the similarity in the poses I’m pretty sure, though, that you were much younger than 3 in the first photo.
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I wondered. I thought perhaps 2 or 2 1/2. What do you think? I didn’t know myself at that age.
The one of me on the horse was a similar pose as well.. I had to choose between the two.
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Great photos and poem!
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Thanks, Eilene.
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Love the juxtaposition of these photos.
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Lucky–one taken by by 11-year-older sister and the other by my 4-year-older sister ten years later. it was luck that the pose was similar.
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I love it, and the great photo!
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Great poem and wonderful pictures.
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I fear I was a bit of a demon spawn. I was a precocious child who asked too many questions and a troubled teenager who did drugs and ran wild. It’s a bit of a wonder that my son was well-behaved. One would think I would deserve a monster like I myself was.
~Cie from Naughty Netherworld Press and Readers Roost~
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You did NOT ask too many questions! There is no such thing. I gather that your running wild brought you to a safer place. Kudos! And peace upon you!
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Your piece in the Reader’s Roost about childhood abuse was brave and wonderful. Amazing that his family blamed you for reporting it!! You mentioned that someone else had reported him 5 years before and there had been many other cases as well. I wonder why that didn’t tip his family off to the truth of the allegations.
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