Tag: Lois Perch Villemaire

Their Mother Was the Light of the Family by Lois Perch Villemaire

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Their Mother Was the Light of the Family

The yahrzeit candle burning in a tiny glass
had been lit at sundown in her memory.

The flame threw shadows around the kitchen,
reflected light gleamed against the stainless appliances.

Gone twelve years, she had held them together—
all accepting, all understanding, all forgiving.

Differences and squabbles disappeared in her presence.
She spoiled them for other relationships in their lives.

There came a time when the light in her eyes
began to dim, throwing shadows on the pages

she strained to read. Book readers with larger print
and brighter light became ineffective.

Her skies began to darken like a brewing storm,
her love of reading stolen, she never complained.

They grew to understand no one held a candle to her,
too late to bestow enough appreciation.

*

Lois Perch Villemaire is the author of “My Eight Greats,” a family history in poetry and prose. Her work has appeared in such places as Blue Mountain Review, The Ekphrastic Review, ONE ART: A Journal of Poetry, and The Ravens Perch. Anthologies, including I Am My Father’s Daughter have published her memoir and poetry. She was the winner of the Haiku Challenge in Pen in Hand July 2023. Lois lives in Annapolis, MD, where she volunteers at the local library, researches family connections, enjoys fun photography and doting over her African violets.

Sixth Blessing by Lois Perch Villemaire

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Sixth Blessing

It was a floral and satin wedding.
I was honored to be asked
by my niece and her husband-to-be
to recite one of the seven blessings.
I was number six.

As number five concluded
I floated to the chuppah
The rabbi lifted his chin
and motioned,
I stepped to the designated spot
noticing the sea of guests,
bride and groom beaming,
intoxicated with joy.

I felt calm,
but my Apple Watch
tapped my wrist,
I glanced down at the message—
heart rate high.

*

Lois Perch Villemaire is the author of “My Eight Greats,” a family history in poetry and prose published in 2023. Her work has appeared in such places as ONE ART, The Ekphrastic Review, Pen In Hand, and anthologies including I Am My Father’s Daughter. Lois lives in Annapolis, MD. where she enjoys researching family history connections, fun photography, and doting over her collection of African violets.

Two Poems by Lois Perch Villemaire

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Museum Visit

On a visit
to the Franklin Institute
my brother and I
run ahead
of our parents
skipping up the steps
to wait at the heavy front doors.

We ask to go first
to our favorite exhibit—
The Giant Heart,
constructed
two stories tall,
big enough
to walk through.

We are thrilled to be in this space
reading signs,
exploring paths
of each chamber,
valve, and ventricle—
trying to imagine
the workings of our own hearts.

We touch veins
painted on the walls,
bulging red and purple.
We laugh nervously
hearing echoes
of lub-dub, lub-dub
as we crawl
through a giant artery
following the trail
blood flows
in our own tiny hearts.

*

Big Girl

After my mother taught me
how to make a bed with hospital corners,
by tucking the sheets just so,
I felt helpful.

After my mother showed me
how to flip a grilled cheese sandwich,
I thought I could cook.

After my mother handed me
a library card, I carried home
a pile of picture books,
I was happy

After my mother took me
to West Side Story for my 11th birthday,
I fell in love with show music.

After my mother and I,
wearing a dress
and patent leather shoes,
sat with my grandmother
at the Crystal Tea Room
on the 8th floor
of Wanamaker’s Department Store,
the largest dining room in Philadelphia,
decorated with huge chandeliers,
flowered tea cups
matching saucers,
I knew I was grown up.

*

Lois Perch Villemaire is the author of “My Eight Greats,” a family history in poetry and prose published in 2023. Her work has appeared in such places as Blue Mountain Review, Ekphrastic Review, One Art: A Journal of Poetry, Pen In Hand, Topical Poetry and an anthology entitled I Am My Father’s Daughter. She lives in Annapolis, MD.

Three Poems by Lois Perch Villemaire

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Hot Tea and Hamantaschen

A cup of hot
vanilla caramel tea
with a cherry
hamantaschen
takes me back.
No, it’s not Purim.
My local bagel shop
bakes them all year round.

The tea—
a reminder of my mother,
faithful tea-drinker;
the hamantaschen—
a reminder of the time
one of my daughters
brought home a recipe
from pre-school.

Sipping on my tea
I see my little girls
as we baked together,
mixing and rolling dough,
spooning cherry pie-filling
then folding just so—
into the shape of Haman’s
triangular hat.

*

Happiness

is not handed out
like Halloween candy.
If there is none
where you wish to find it,
feel the loss then rejoice
in fortuitous discoveries.

The deep purple bloom
of an African violet
created from a single leaf,
the taste of a fresh banana,
the company of someone you love,
the encouragement of a friend,

a book you long to return to,
music—an arrow to your heart,
baby birds with open beaks
in a nest outside your window,
and a blossoming hydrangea
you planted seven years ago
in memory of your sister.

*

Calling All Poets
         After June Jordan

Slow down
look around
there’s something
impressive to see.

Feel the silent breeze
watch the wisdom
of the birds
building nests
with precision.

Listen to their calls
rhythmic chirping
rings through the air.
I wonder—
what is the message?

Notice how swiftly
trees convert
from naked
to full bloom,
barely time to
grasp
the transformation.

*

Lois Perch Villemaire writes poetry, flash memoir, and fiction. Her work has appeared in such places as Blue Mountain Review, Ekphrastic Review, One Art: A Journal of Poetry, Pen In Hand and Topical Poetry. Anthologies, including I Am My Father’s Daughter and Truth Serum Press – Lifespan Series have published her memoir and poetry. Her first book, “My Eight Greats,” a family history in poetry and prose, will be published in September. Originally from the Philadelphia area, Lois lives in Annapolis, MD, where she enjoys yoga, researching family connections, fun photography, and doting over her African violets.

White Walls by Lois Perch Villemaire

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White Walls

With determination
she turned the page
started over
with a new address
an escape from
the painful pattern
a search for peace
without complexity.

How fitting—
new construction
with bare white walls
new shrubbery in place
by the front door
promising to grow
with direct sunlight.

Nearby—
he too settled
feeling uncertain
in his white space
with an echo
as the front door shut
without anyone else
coming home.

Perhaps the gods
placed them close enough
for a chance meeting
knowing until
that magical day
they each needed
a measure of time
without stripes
without colors
without questions.

*

Lois Perch Villemaire, originally from the Philadelphia area, is a longtime resident of Annapolis, MD where she is inspired by the charm of a colonial town and the glorious Chesapeake Bay. After retirement from a career in local government, she concentrated on her love of writing. Dabbling in family research has inspired poetry, memoir, and creative nonfiction. Her work has appeared in a number of journals such as Ekphrastic Review, Flora Fiction, and One Art: A Journal of Poetry, and has been included in several anthologies. Lois was a finalist in the 2021 Prime Number Magazine Award for Poetry. She enjoys yoga practice, amateur photography, and raising African violets.

My Mother Walked to John Story Jenks School by Lois Perch Villemaire

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My Mother Walked to John Story Jenks School

I could be stepping in her footprints
as I navigate the crooked sidewalks
on the same route to school
my mother skipped along in her
charming hometown where
I have chosen to spend the weekend
celebrating my birthday.

I gaze into the August sky
at the building constructed in 1923,
the same year my mother was born,
this Late Gothic Revival,
three-story yellow brick façade, with
cement steps, stonewalls, and
unique architectural features
hidden by towering trees.

She would be delighted to find me here
admiring the nearby historic water tower.
My mother— running late even as a child,
dashing through the neighborhood,
carrying a book bag, a sweater,
curly hair tangled by the wind,
her footprints can be found all over town.

*

Lois Perch Villemaire, originally from the Philadelphia area, is a longtime resident of Annapolis, MD where she is inspired by the charm of a colonial town and the glorious Chesapeake Bay. After retirement from a career in local government, she concentrated on her love of writing. Dabbling in family research has inspired poetry, memoir, and creative nonfiction. Her work has appeared in a number of journals such as Ekphrastic Review, Flora Fiction, and One Art: A Journal of Poetry, and has been included in several anthologies. Lois was a finalist in the 2021 Prime Number Magazine Award for Poetry. She enjoys yoga practice, amateur photography, and raising African violets.

Three Poems by Lois Perch Villemaire

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Because You’re a Leo
           After Donika Kelly

You’re supposed to be confident,
happy to be the center of attention.
Not that you are that creature
knowing all too well
those waves of uneasiness
starting in your stomach
expanding to your shoulders and arms
worries over the crush of failure
moments of rejection
not being good enough
Are you a fraud?
Pretending to be something?

Don’t be so hard on yourself,
It’s a brand new season
relish those victories
those validations
summon up every shred
of positivity you can,
shape it into a mountain
of atomic strength,
acceptance of yourself
build on those affirmations
embrace the credit you deserve.

*

Dad Collected Penguins

Because he was a collector
of all sorts of things
from art to zebras
at one time he fell in love
with penguins
*
He told us penguins fly
through the water not the sky
diving deep into the world
of dreams— huddled together
—no wonder he held us close
calling us his chicks
*
we searched for penguin gifts
on holidays and his birthday:
mugs
pottery
framed artwork
sculpture
books
sweaters
*
until the day came when
Dad requested we stop
giving him penguins
we wondered why
but he laughed and said
his collection was complete
*
although he asked us
to cease gifting them
I will always associate
flightless seabirds with him
displaying mine like lucky stars
because at one time
he fell in love with penguins.

*

Who Lived on South 5th Street?

I’m done ruining my eyes
trying to read a spreadsheet
originated in 1910
to see who lived on South 5th Street,

After spending years
on family research,
spitting into a tube
sending it off to have
my DNA analyzed,

I’m done responding to
third cousins who may be related
but don’t have a family tree
or any helpful information,

I’m done paying Ancestry
several hundred dollars a year
to allow me to keep my research
in their data base,

I’m done running
into roadblocks each time
I try to figure out if Aunt Minnie
really had a son, James
who no one in the family recalls,

I’m done combing through
death notices on Newspapers dot com,
visiting rundown cemeteries
searching for gravestones
that may provide hints
to identify unknown ancestors,

And I’m really done
trying to figure out how
to pass along this information
because no one in my family
seems the least bit interested.

*

Lois Perch Villemaire resides in Annapolis, MD. Her stories, memoir flash, and poetry have been published in such places as Six Sentences, Ekphrastic Review, The RavensPerch, Trouvaille Review, FewerThan500, The Drabble, Pen In Hand, and Flora Fiction. Her poems have been included in anthologies published by Truth Serum Press, Global Insides – the Vaccine, American Writers Review 2021, and Love & the Pandemic by Moonstone Arts Center. She was a finalist in the 2021 Prime Number Magazine Award for Poetry.