Ellen Gwaltney Bales Poet Free verse

Ladies Who Lunch

Who are these women
Who sit here three times a year
Sipping their tea with pinkies extended?
Once it was five times a year.
Five lunches shared.
Five birthdays come and gone.
Now two have gone forever
And they were the most fun!
One had a laugh—childlike and contagious.
The other liked to dish the dirt and saw all the latest films.
No one talks about them much anymore.
But they did exist.
    I’m sure of it.

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Ellen Gwaltney Bales January 19, 2023 at 3:32 PM Shallotte, thank you for reading my poem. Since you've lost your own sister I'm sure you know how much they are missed and thought of, especially if the two of you were close.

Sharlotte Newan January 18, 2023 at 9:41 PM I know what you mean I lost my older sister Thank you for sharing

Ilene Bauer January 5, 2023 at 9:03 AM nicely done, ellen! i love the way you've ended this... Ellen Gwaltney Bales January 7, 2023 at 4:12 AM Thank you for reading and liking my poem, Ilene. The ending comes from a long-held belief of mine: that we should never stop talking about the deceased. It keeps them alive in our hearts and minds.

John Gondolf January 5, 2023 at 5:32 AM It's sad when those we like the most are the first ones to go. I have been blessed to have all my closest friends still around, but I know the days are getting shorter in the winter of our lives. You pen your poems with such feeling, Ellen. Ellen Gwaltney Bales January 7, 2023 at 4:18 AM John, You really are blessed, John, to still have your best friends. I have lost a few but there are new ones in my life as well. I did write this poem with a lot of feeling. It's about a group of women in my family and I tried to convey how we must continue on despite losing them and how we must keep their memories alive. Thank you so much for your comments. Ellen