Sun Kissed Days

Sun Kissed Days

Sunday, September 24, 2017

A New World


My father
created a life
out of thin air.
He built a foundation
with his strong hands
and his strong mind.
He built a home,
raised a family,
and found success.
Then he uprooted
to a new land,
to plant new trees,
on new landscape,
of a blank canvas,
for his sons and daughter.
He left notoriety,
a good name,
a reputation,
to start over.
Be invisible,
suffer tragedies and challenges
in his new world,
for all of us to find peace
from the impending war.
He sacrificed for the country,
but he did not want to 
sacrifice his sons.
My mother learned
a new language in her
late forties.
Leaving behind tailored dresses
and sparkling jewels.
Abandoned her status
to work as a cook
at a beach front hotel.
Her dainty feet
swelled into boats,
never to recover.
Her mother tongue spoken to us,
while others did not understand
her broken English. 
Hope drifted in and out of 
the windows of our home
and entered through the
door one day.
But it was not long before 
a new hurdle
had to be confronted.
My mother and father
did not dwell in the past.
They lived every day
stung by the reality of 
putting food on the table
and clothes on our backs.
Their love trickled in our sleep,
raised our dreams,
found a path,
to change,
to rise,
to recreate our life.
 

57 comments:

  1. I can really feel the love that your parents poured into you... like seedlings being set to grow in unfamiliar soil. I hope they managed to find some way of settling in the new land too.

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  2. They showed such strength and courage, Ayala. I love "But they did not want to sacrifice their sons." People have such heroic stories. They may think they are just living daily life. But they are heroic. I love this poem!

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  3. What a wonderful story of parental love! Enjoyed this poem

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  4. You told this story of love and commitment so well. Thank you.

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  5. Great tribute dear Ayala - I found this quiet moving as my last read of the day...

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  6. I love the story of your parents, and how "hope" floated in and out the windows and love trickled down.

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  7. What a moving tribute to your parents. Beautifully written.

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  8. Oh this is such a beautiful tribute, Ayala.

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  9. What a wonderful family history poem, Ayala. This poem is a keeper - one for your grandchildren to read some day.

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  10. A beautiful tribute to family and the love and sacrifices of parents! Thank you for this....

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  11. Sure a wonderful tribute to your parents indeed. Doing what has to been done and not dwelling gets it done.

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  12. What a moving, inspiring story! And beautifully told.

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  13. Beautiful! Stunning and poignant. Up there with some of your best work!

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  14. A great tribute..starting life afresh in a strange country...the story of immigrants who build nations. Beautiful.

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  15. There is love in the depth of your words. A beautiful poem of "real" life. Thank you for sharing!

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  16. I like this story, very familiar and worthy. My own maternal grandparents were the same in mindset and deed. Their works are why I'm here in the USA at the moment. Thank you for the warmth and memories. God bless.

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  17. What a wonderful tribute to two people who really cared.

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  18. A great tribute to the sacrifice of many immigrants to give their children a better life. Wonderful poem.

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  19. Nice tribute. Needed to be heard more than ever now.

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  20. Great tribute to your parents who were strength and inspirations themselves...

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  21. No wonder you are so amazing. Such love and strength... xx

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  22. What a blessing indeed to have such wonderful parents. This is both inspiring and beautiful Ayala!!

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  23. I liked the line: "Their love trickled in our sleep" Wonderful description of your parents.

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  24. Wow. Great poem with vivid descriptions. Well written.

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  25. An amazing story in a lovingly crafted tribute to your parents, Ayala. The following lines say so much about them:
    'He built a foundation
    with his strong hands
    and his strong mind';
    '...he uprooted
    to a new land,
    to plant new trees,
    on new landscape';
    'My mother learned
    a new language in her
    late forties...
    Her mother tongue spoken to us,
    while others did not understand
    her broken English';
    and I love the imagery in the lines:
    'Hope drifted in and out of
    the windows of our home
    and entered through the
    door one day'
    and
    'Their love trickled in our sleep,
    raised our dreams,
    found a path,
    to change,
    to rise,
    to recreate our life'.

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  26. love that you've captured so many years of life in this elegant and moving poem

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  27. Enchantment, indeed. I'm not surprised Ayala is such a tender grandmother--we saw that with her own, didn't we?!

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