Carol MacKay
About this Christian Poet:
I grew up in Ryley, Alberta (pop. 375) but now live in Bawlf, Alberta, a similarily small rural village. My poems and stories have appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies such as Purpose, Gaspereau Review, The Fiddlehead, as well as on CBC Radio and the occasional greeting card. I have reviewed books for Quill & Quire, School Library Journal, Living Light News and Canadian Book Review Annual. I have also written children's stories for Primary Treasure and Adventures Magazine.
I wrote this poem in the aftermath of my mother's death. While it captures the emotions and feelings of loss I experienced at the time, it doesn't describe the less tangible, but truly important things I now realize my mother also left me: eternal hope, faith and belief. My mother called me "a writer" long before I ever could.
Shawl
I knit and purl,
sedate Sunday nights
hypodermically
because She left me
bags of rainbows and granny squares,
a set of needles
to count on.
Copyright©2003 by Carol MacKay