Memories Of Mother Poem by Kim Barney

Kim Barney

Kim Barney

I was born in a bank - - my mother went there and made a deposit

Memories Of Mother

Rating: 4.8


It's more than fifty
years now she's been gone.
She went to heaven and
left us all alone.
Downwinders we were,
or so they called us
years later when they
found out what happened.
A small Utah town
got more than its share
of atomic dust.
Fallout. 'Harmless stuff.'
My best friend's father
was another who fell,
and the town's beloved
scoutmaster as well.

'Reindeer' they called her,
growing up on the
plains of Alberta,
because she was so swift,
faster than the boys.
'Songbird' would have fit
as well; she had an
angel voice.

She wanted all her kids
to learn to play the
piano. I only learned
one tune: 'Mister Frog
is Full of Hops'.
Some of my siblings
did much better.

She scolded me once
for picking up food
with my hands. Thinking
myself clever, I
said 'Fingers were made
before forks.' But her
reply put me in
my place: 'Yours weren't! '

Cancer we had heard
of, but not leukemia,
yet in that tiny town
so many became ill
one cannot help but frown
and wonder why. Of course
we know the reason now.
We didn't then. No one
then knew, or so they said.

When diagnosed, they
told her: 'You have two
months to two years.'
She lived one month.
Three girls and three boys
age twenty down to four
had to learn to live without
the mom they'd had before.

More than half a
century later,
I still miss her.

Memories Of Mother
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Topic(s) of this poem: nostalgia
POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
This poem was written in one day (25 Aug 2014) .My mother passed away 55 years ago this month as a direct result of the government's atomic bomb testing in Nevada, and I just got thinking about her and decided to write a poem with some of my memories of her.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Akhtar Jawad 21 February 2015

More than half a century later, I still miss her. What a beautiful poem! .......................10

15 0 Reply
Susan Lacovara 12 June 2015

This is an incredibly heartwretching write. So young to leave behind such young children. Once a mother has passed, the entirety of your life changes. I, too, have felt the loss. My mother's cancer also could be attributed to the fact that we grew up so close to the nuclear power plant, which THEY say is still safe! Go figuren. Five out of seven of my family members have had some type of cancer, at early ages. Still, I choose to think of the sweetness of my mother, every single day. Honor her spirit. Nothing could ever tarnish that. Your write was a wonderful reminder. PEACE

14 0 Reply
Albert Ahearn 02 August 2015

Your mother still lives spiritually as long as you evoke the memories. Thank you for sharing. In my poem with the same title you asked about an act of congress On May 8,1914, the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

14 0 Reply
Geeta Radhakrishna Menon 11 December 2015

Dear Sir, What a beautiful poem you have written about your mother. She looks lovely in the picture. A mother is always a mother. As i said earlier and repeat again, no one can take her place. Mother is the embodiment of love and compassion. Days, months, years may pass by, but how can we ever forget our beloved mother? A wonderful tribute to Mother!

11 0 Reply
Anzelyne Shideshe 02 January 2016

very beatiful poem.Your mother is more than humbled wherever she is right now.10 IT IS

11 0 Reply
Nabakishore Dash 24 February 2022

Excellent memories written in very beautiful and heart touching simple language.I only empathise.

0 0 Reply
LeeAnn Azzopardi 07 August 2021

I hope to write an equal one for my mum

3 0 Reply
Linda Bella Wassermeister 07 August 2021

A wonderful tribute to your mother! Brought tears to my eyes.

3 0 Reply
Grace Diane Jessen 26 July 2021

A lovely tribute to your Mother. Fun memories included. Well done!

4 0 Reply
Khairul Ahsan 15 December 2020

The poem and the picture wrenched my heart, particularly these lines: 'Three girls and three boys age twenty down to four had to learn to live without the mom they'd had before.' My solemn prayers for your dearest mom, may she rest in eternal peace!

5 0 Reply
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Kim Barney

Kim Barney

I was born in a bank - - my mother went there and made a deposit
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