Watercolor and ink, 1984, by Martha Fawcett

“Well!’ thought Alice to herself, after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they’ll all think me at home!”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

 

 

Getting Away

I held a little box

and when I looked inside,

everything was in there,

even a place to hide.

I climbed inside my little world,

and from what I’ve seen so far,

it goes on forever—

and that is very far.

So I’ll look a little farther

and see all there is to see,

it’s so very simple,

the box,

forever,

and me.

Cycles of Unchange

Born of the Sixties

a barefoot flower child

walking the streets

offering flowers and pearls to passers-by

singing, “The Truth Will Make Us Free.”

Reborn of the Eighties,

a working woman

filling a man’s shoes

pounding the pavement

with a copy of the daily news

held tightly under one arm.

exchanging insults on the crowded streets,

no longer looking for the truth

but still waiting to be free.

 

The Runaway

Penny postcard of old,

faded, yet bold,

an image in sepia,

frozen in a moment long ago.

One side holds the picture,

the other side holds the tale,

carried to his father,

by the U.S. Mail.

Dear Dad,

Forgive me for leaving,

I’m going out West,

I hope Mom isn’t grieving

but I think it’s for the best.

I don’t know if you understand me…

or if you want to try…

But, if you could open up to me,

you’d see all of me you want to see.

Standing right there by your side,

looking tough but scared inside.

Hopeing against every hope,

That you don’t see me as a joke

but as someone who could be a son to you,

please be a dad to me.

Love, your son.

The picture postcard below was mailed on July 8, 1928 at 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon, from North Platte, Nebraska. The postcard was addressed to Teofil Fronczak, P.O. Box 93, Manchester, Conneticut and contained no message. Estrella Fronczak Vincek, my mother-in-law, gave me the card, telling me the picture was of her brother Chester who ran away from home. This postcard was the last word they ever heard from him. Obviously, many words were left unspoken, so I took the liberty of supplying a few.

copyright © 2013 Martha Fawcett