Caren Krutsinger Poet Prose Poetry

Notes About The Poem

This is in honor of a mother who did everything for a school on a volunteer basis for over twelve years.  After she commited suicide I was called in as one of the counselors to help with the grief of the other mothers. The other mothers were inconsolable, as she had helped them for years and years and years, doing so much it was practically ridiculous and none of them knew her. She had reached out a couple of times, trying to make a friend, but they had all been too busy to get to know her, and after awhile she had stopped trying.  Keep trying, my friends. You never know how much impact a simple "how are you", a smile, or a pat on the shoulder, or "I appreciate you" could do for a person.  Suicide is a real problem, and it is as shocking and abrupt as the tone of this poem.

She Was a Force To Be Reckoned With

She was a force to be reckoned with, outgoing, delightfully assertive, powerful, well-respected.
Her business was human resources.
She was the company expert. We could not have functioned without her.
She matched people to careers as smoothly as seven minute icing goes onto a cake.
She had a reputation as the go-to-person for any and every relationship dilemma we could throw her way, and we threw them all to her.
She caught them and laughed, making mincemeat of them.
She was loving and caring, a brick in the company.
She kept things together.
She kept the peace,
She kept dendrite records that made the paper ones look feeble.
She would do anything to help you, and with the most positive attitude in the world.
She enthusiastically restored hope in people who felt helpless.
She taught people how to be resilient.
She never burdened us with her problems.
She did not talk about herself.
She left them at home.
With her gun,
And her 
Bullets
And her
Plans.
A woman
Alone.
Not even
A cat.
She thought we could easily replace her,
But she was dead wrong.

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M. L. Kiser October 25, 2018 at 9:34 PM Oh geez, that's so sad; so many give up that same way. There's a very special message in this piece. I do love this line though: "She matched people to careers as smoothly as seven minute icing goes onto a cake." An excellent image. Caren Krutsinger October 26, 2018 at 12:11 AM Thank you M.L. 7 minute frosting was our Mother's go-to-frosting for our birthdays. It tastes like a cross between meringue and frosting. Nothing like it! Sort of marshmallow-y also.

Rhona Mcferran October 25, 2018 at 12:17 PM This gave me chills... and like Maureen said, this is an important piece! So potently penned- well done, my friend! Caren Krutsinger October 25, 2018 at 4:49 PM Thank you Rhona. It came flowing out. But I had to switch it up in places of course.

Maureen McGreavy Pigeon Tart October 25, 2018 at 8:06 AM Powerful and important piece Caren <3 xomo Caren Krutsinger October 25, 2018 at 4:49 PM Thank you Maureen. I have seen what can happen, and the survivors are always so shocked and so distraught, as none of them knew.