Eileen Drennen

Where I'm From #40By Eileen DrennenInspired by George Ella LyonI am from books shelved floor-to-ceiling, reading for hours and making notes in the margins. From crunchy buttered hard rolls and good Jewish rye,Tea with cream and sugar and jugs of Gallo wine.I’m from the three-story Victorian bought for a song, From Lemon Pledge and orange Formica,Stained glass laughter and door-slammed tears.  I’m from Lily of the Valley and velvet moss, From purple lilac bouquets and copper beeches to climb.I’m from “you kids are skating on thin ice” and “I love you more”From hand-me-downs and kitchen sink perms, From “Daddy didn’t mean what he said” and “Mommy’s in the hospital again.”I’m from blue chlorine summers and icy snow-fort winters, From Mozart and Motown, ballads and the Beatles.I’m from D.A. and M. Eileen, typewriters and syllabi, leather missals and rosaries.From know-it-alls and bleeding hearts, Dreaming of one life while living another.I’m from crisp Holy Communion dresses and fish sticks on Fridays.From Queens and Manhattan and a string of Hudson River towns;From Connollys and Reids, Kearneys and Carews.I’m from lucky stones in pocketbooks and wishbones on windowsills.From the legs my mother can’t trust and the stack my father blows and blows and blows.I’m from tin boxes of studio portraits and snapshots from Ireland, From pictures of my parents as babies, and teens.And the one and only photograph of my family all togetherOn Prince Edward Island, in 1964. I’m from the eight-year-old in pigtails with a brother who’s six, From sisters who are 2 and 10 and 11 and 12.I’m from the smiling Dad who orchestrated our only vacationAnd the Mom who, years later, made sure we each had a copy,To remember where we’re from.Where to find Eileen:Website: https://www.eileendrennen.com/Where to find Alyson:Website: https://www.alysonshelton.comSubstack: https://whereimfrom.substack.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byalysonshelton/