Homecomings

I think I write poetry because I want to tell stories, but I'm too lazy to write a book.

This one, like the poem from last Saturday, is a true story. This time it is about my mother-in-law's first cousin, Janie. I heard the last part first, shortly before Janie died a few years ago. Then, last May my mother in law told us about the day her aunt brought Janie home as a baby. It occurred to me that this was too good of a story not to write down.

The people in this poem are Northwestern Louisiana people. My husband's aunt in the beginning of this poem went by both her first and middle name, in that fine Southern tradition. You will see her name, Exie Mae, and want to pronounce it as two words; that would be wrong. Her family pronounced it "Examay." I think the poem flows smoother when it is pronounced that way.

For the record, when I met her Janie was a fun-loving grandmother who loved riding Harleys and speaking her mind. The closing line of the poem is a direct quote from her. If you had gotten the chance to meet her yourself, you probably would have liked her.

Here is her story.

( Homecomings )