Margo and Tilly

Margo and Tilly

Large as a two year old
they sat upon the
hob nail beige chenille bedspread
two home-sewn Raggedy Ann style dolls

Only there was no Andy,
just two similar girls,
Margot and Matilda,
“Margo and Tilly” 

They wore black yarn pigtails
and gingham pinafores.
I could play with them
but they had to stay on the bed.

Many times I would crawl up,
a silly seven year old,
and cuddle and fall asleep
with Margo- my favorite.

It was disclosed many years later
asking Mom why she was so sad
every October,
and she finally told me.

Before me there were twins;
girls- I was told were perfect beauties,
but they were premature
and lived only two weeks.

Mom was deeply grieved
but a couple years later went forward
and birthed me
probably why I was so cherished a gift

So I am sure to this day
that those big rag dolls on her bed
were her remembrances of my sisters
Margo and Tilly  

  -Jerry Wendt 2017

Life Lines

Ice Cream Innocence

 I told Tyler
 “When the ice cream truck makes music
 it means they are out of ice cream.”

 Guilt overcame me
 So I called him to the kitchen table
 and told him that wasn’t truth.

 My son asked,
 “Why did you do that to me Dad?”
 I said it would introduce distrust
 to prepare him to cope in the real world.

 But this was my bigger lie,
 It really tore the fabric of his innocence,
 the very essence of the beauty
 we so love in our children.

-Jerry Wendt 2017