Thank You Abby Hurlburt!

Got a really sweet email from Turner's third and fourth grade teacher. She sent me the poem below and reminded me that "Turner's always been talented." What a sweet, small gift during this incredibly hectic time of year. I was deeply moved.

The First Snowfall
Silent snow drifting across the winter wonderland
Racing outside to a soft blanket of snow
Trudging uphill with my sled
Zipping down the crystal clear hills
Laughing and having fun

by Turner French, 2008

Like Cindy, But More So

Like the “Lost In Space” robot,
short circuited,
arms flailing,
I am confused.
Tight-chested,
my lungs are so tense
that the air won’t
come.

Feeling like the 21st-century, female version of Atlas,
overwhelmed,
yet simultaneously underwhelmed,
I am tired.
Reality hasn’t met expectations,
but when do they,
ever.

Desiring to be special,
a treasure,
someone’s beauty,
like a well-worn baseball glove or
a coveted pair of pumps,
flats—shoes of any kind really—
I am not.

Like the fabled Cinderella,
cleaning, laundry, shopping, cooking, dishes
some more laundry, yard work….
and if Cindy had kids, add in disciplining.
I am Mom.

(written winter 1996, never published anywhere until now.)