Matriarch

Artist: Meghan Donovan

For Eleonore, on her 90th birthday, 28 February 2012

I have no excuse to be a coward.
No reason to fear job loss, reading my poetry, going back to school, being rejected
By Mr. Right Now, Not Forever.
Coming from your line, I should be fearless.
You were younger than me when you made a life in a new country,
With the names of cousins you hadn’t seen in years tucked into your luggage.
What was it like to make that leap of faith across the Atlantic?
You knew the streets weren’t paved with gold,
But you stepped off the boat and onto them anyway.
You taught me about faith when you taught me the Rosary.
You taught me about risks when you taught me to play 500.
But there was more than what I saw as a young girl.

Six of us grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and only one of us speaks German.
Foolishly, I thought Spanish and French were “more romantic.”
Romance is traveling from an unsettled past into an unknown future,
Making a new “Once upon a time,” one day at a time.
You built several careers, made scores of friends, inspired me to serve others.
You intimidated Father Halaiko with a crochet hook and awed him with your courage.
You stepped naturally into the role of Oma and welcomed our friends into our family.

I promise to call you before I call Mom when I get home,
Send more funny postcards,
Keep you plied with yarn and fabric,
Use and recreate your recipes.

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