The way in which we communicate has changed in the recent decades. Now so many of us communicate more via text messaging and instant messenger than we do by picking up the phone and having a conversation or better yet talking to someone in person. This collection deals with different ways that we can communicate with loved ones, let them know that while out of sight they are not out of mind, and also reminding us that face to face one-on-one conversations are good for the soul. In Game of Cards, we become flies on the wall at family game night. The dinner is done, plates have been taken away and outcomes the Uno cards. Everyone is focused on being the winner but of course only one can be victorious. But when the game is over the connection that the family has with each other is unmatchable, especially the beautiful moment between a grandchild and their grandmother. In Silent Talks a teacher brings to the forefront a concept to her students that we just don't communicate the way we used to. This is further explored when a student goes home and their mother asks them how their day was, they realize that their immediate response of a one-word answer mirrors exactly what their teacher had spoken on, our lack of communication. The first step was accepting that maybe there is another way, possibly even a better way to communicate and the next step was taking action. As the teenager anxiously sits on their parent’s bed waiting for them to come home, the door opens and like two best friends they sit and they talk, they share stories about how their day has been. It seems simple in conception but sometimes the best way to connect to loved ones is just to take the time and be willing to have a conversation.
How We Connect to Loved Ones
All the colors in a rainbow
Banding together in their specific light
And down they fall
Onto the cardstock
Into the box
Onto the dusty shelf
The time has come for us to celebrate
It is Sunday afternoon
Post family dinner, we all gather
Surrounding the dining room table
That held all the laughter
All the times my baby cousin grabbed mashed potatoes
And slapped them on the white lace tablecloth
Gravy drips from the bottom of the edge where my
Dad sat
He eats like a starving animal sometimes
Granny reminds him there is always more
So much more
More for him and everyone else
She cooks like we are a family of twelve
There are only six
The spread looks like we are a tribe
Dad says granny can’t let go of the people who have gone
When her husband died, she made six cakes and two
Apple pies for family dinner
When mom was sick and couldn’t make it to dinner
She sent us home with three full plates
Of food.
All the food.