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Poem of Your Soul--Echoes Premiere Contest Winner

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My courageous mother. She was the most soulful person I've known.

She was and still is my inspiration.

 

I open the sewing basket, letting my eyes and hands run over the tools she had used—the scissors, the darning egg, the pins and pincushion, and spools of thread. I gaze at the metal spool-shaped bobbins remembering how, as a small child, I flushed them down the toilet creating quite a ruckus. I finger the thimbles recalling her numb fingers and hands. Despite her diminishing eyesight, she quilted until her last day, painstakingly feeling the fabric, cutting the shapes, and hand stitching the pieces together silently suffering from the pricks and misery her needle sometimes inflicted. When tiny drops of blood dripped from her fingers, nary a tear emerged from her eyes. I close the basket and walk through her sewing room, silence enveloping it. The faceless dress form patiently waits for her return, an unfinished garment draped over its shoulders. The sewing machine sits idle, its motor no longer whirring and the needle no longer punching through the fabric with its steady, rhythmic chuka, chuka, chuka sound.
echoes pierce silence the sound of mother’s spirit I know in my heart

Copyright © | Year Posted 2023




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Date: 4/6/2024 3:18:00 PM
Oh! Sarah, I don't know what brought me this way. This haibun is indeed beautiful. A well-deserved win. I just wrote a haibun titled, "The Midnight Train", which talked about my mother and her struggles. This is a fav for me and a treasured one.
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 4/6/2024 5:15:00 PM
I'm glad you were lead to or discovered this poem. I appreciate your comment as well as your congratulatory words. There's something soulful about writing about our mothers. I'm humbly grateful for the fave...means a lot to me. Wishing you a wonderful evening, Sara
Date: 12/14/2023 7:31:00 AM
Sara, Congratulations on your win and your poem is a beautiful quilt woven with memory and love. Through the quiet hum of her absence, your mother's spirit hums louder, a testament to her unwavering resilience and the threads of creativity she's forever intertwined with yours. - I love it, and it reminds me so much of my mom. Blessings - Daniel
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/14/2023 4:59:00 PM
thank you, Daniel, for such astounding comments. They were meaningful to me because of their sensitivity and depth. Your words touched my soul, and I am deeply grateful. I especially liked 'threads of creativity she's forever intwined with yours. Wish I could 'fave' comments. If I could I would. Have a pleasant evening, Sara
Date: 12/13/2023 4:53:00 PM
Dear Sara, the poetic portrait you so reverently and affectionately paint of your beloved mother is as exquisite as it is poignant. Your prose and Haiku are so potent, so endearing and so wistful, they brought both a smile and a tear. A breathtaking Haibun. I lingered in melancholy musing about your soulful mother for a while. Indeed, you are soulful too. A great picture of your mother, her eyes are so kind. Congratulations for your shining trophy win in Ink Empress's contest with this superb piece. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/13/2023 5:06:00 PM
thank you, Susan, for your lovely comments about my poem. I'm glad it brought smiles and tears. I appreciate you lingering in her soulful memory. Yes, her eyes and soul were kind. Thank you for your heartfelt congratulatory words. Your comments mean a great deal to me. Hugs, Sara
Date: 12/13/2023 1:59:00 PM
what a lovely tribute to your mother in haibun form, and so poignant..your prose is excellent, as is the closing haiku/senryu - congrats on your 1st place in the contest!
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/13/2023 5:07:00 PM
thank you, Charlotte, for your kind words about my poem. I also appreciate your congratulatory words...I am grateful for the encouragement and support. Hugs, Sara
Date: 12/13/2023 8:11:00 AM
Oh congratulations Sara. This most beautiful poem, is the loveliest thing anyone could read. Your love and admiration of your dear Mother, simply jumps from the screen and into your readers heart. Cant begin to tell you how I enjoyed reading this. Bless you sweet Sara.
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/13/2023 5:08:00 PM
Thank you kind, SV, for your congratulatory words and lovely comments. I am grateful that you enjoyed the read. The poem was a pleasure to write. I appreciate your continued encouragement and support, hugs, Sara
Date: 12/13/2023 8:06:00 AM
Dear sara, this poem touched my soul, for the depth the emotions and flow of words that depicts nostalgia and grief in sheer eloquence. It is my absolute pleasure to place you as the first place winner in my contest. Congratulations on your well deserved win
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/13/2023 5:00:00 PM
oh! Wow! I'm thrilled beyond words for your kind words and for the first place win in your contest. Actually, I'm doing what I call 'my happy dance' here in my office. I'm excited and speechless at the same time. Thank you from the depth of my heart and soul, hugs, Sara
Date: 12/8/2023 1:31:00 PM
Your poem is so well-crafted, expressive, and insightful that it brimming with this beautiful ode to your heavenly mother, who has motivated you to develop into the individual that you are today. As always, your skillful use of language narrates your story so beautifully. You possess a linguistic ability that is simultaneously tender and profound.
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:24:00 PM
thank you, dearest Sotto, for your visit and for kind words. Yes, my mother was a positive influence and motivator. She was the quintessential mom in my book! Without her nourishing my love for writing, I would never have been a writer, poet, or teacher. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Sotto. Have a blessed evening, your poetess friend in Texas.
Date: 12/8/2023 11:57:00 AM
My mum is my hero.. I would be lost without her and you can call my a mummy's boy, I don't really care lol.. This is a lovely tribute to your angelic mum who has inspired you to become the person that you are.. As always you tell your story so well through your great use of words and vocabulary.. this one is a definite in your book.. I think you may need a couple of chapters though..
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:22:00 PM
oh, Silent One, your comments about my creation touched my heart...maybe I do need another chapter (smiles) I'm grateful your mom is your hero...and it's okay to be a 'mummy's boy.' I'm guessing she's part angel and is profoundly proud of you. Wishing you a splendid evening, Sara
Date: 12/8/2023 10:49:00 AM
- I am the owner of my mother's sewing basket ... and it contains this as you describe ... she sewed all the clothes for me and my sister ... before she married she sewed in a dress factory ... she sat bent over the sewing machine for late night ... a lovely poem that brought back lovely memories of my own mother, Sara :) - hugs
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:20:00 PM
dear Anne-Lisa--I'm touched that my poem triggered memories of your own mother. Sewing baskets are nostalgic, aren't they. My grandmother also sewed in a dress factory...as she aged, she was bent over from all those years at a sewing maching. Have a splendid evening, Sara
Date: 12/8/2023 8:36:00 AM
Exceptional piece and another touching tribute to your mother. Every detail eloquently spun. A seamstresses tools invite nostalgic and indelible memories nostalgia to cherish and keep close to your heart. Thank you for sharing a picture, I always admire how beautiful she was.
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:17:00 PM
ahhhh! Thank you for your lovely and kind words about my mother. I agree...she was beautiful and so kind. I appreciate your complimentary words about the nostalgia associated with seamstress tools. Thanks for your visit. Wishing you a pleasant evening, Sara
Date: 12/8/2023 8:34:00 AM
I enjoyed reading your lovely story/write/picture. Good memories are the best kind to have. Have a blessed day...................
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:19:00 PM
thank you, Paula. I appreciate you consistently reading my poems and commenting. Hope you're enjoying the holiday season, Sara
Date: 12/8/2023 7:18:00 AM
Sara, I always enjoy your writing in whatever form you choose because your attentiveness to details opens the door so that I may see through your eyes. Your sentimentality exposes your heart to what you hold dear, and I admire that you are willing to share personal tidbits of your life with us. I can see your lovely mother through you.
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:18:00 PM
Your comments 'wowed' me, Lina. Thank you for enjoying the details of my poems and the sentimentality. I'm grateful you admire my poetic spirit and sharing. Your words meant a great deal to me. Oh how touched I was that you can see my mother through my words. Thank you from my heart. Have a splendid evening, Sara
Date: 12/8/2023 6:00:00 AM
This is so heartfelt and touching. Your treasured memories echo throughout, Sara. Awesome tribute you wrote.
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:15:00 PM
thank you for your kind words, Vijay! thanks for stopping by, enjoy your evening, Sara
Date: 12/8/2023 5:52:00 AM
looked into her eyes saw much love did realize with her still when she dies may be fast or slow a horrible way to go on window hung a bow sons of Sullivan all of them had been brave men in heaven free from sin When angel I have been would be free from sin When, would, how, why and where are necessary poetry words. jthorn5656@atmc.net
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Sara Etgen-Baker
Date: 12/8/2023 4:14:00 PM
thanks for your visit. Have a pleasant evening!

Book: Reflection on the Important Things