A New Poem that Clarifies Why I Had Bladder Problems During First Grade

     I know that the title of this blog post sounds strange, but you'll understand it once you've read my newest poem about one of my oldest memories:

The Star’s Shadow

by Susan L. Lipson

I stared upward at the gold, foil star
stuck proudly below my bitten fingernails,
to the right of my one wrinkled thumb,
and now held aloft in my first-grade teacher’s    tight grip.

“Look at this! This is yesterday’s star for spelling!” she announced.
Everyone looked at my treasured sign of specialness.
Except me.
I looked at the teacher’s downturned lips and her wrinkled nose. My skinny arm trembled in her grasp.

She clucked her tongue and asked, for everyone to hear:
“Why did you leave it on your hand? Don’t you wash every day?”
Everyone looked at our teacher’s grimace.
Except me.
I looked down at my desk, where a big teardrop had just plopped
onto the math quiz she had just delivered,
marked with a few red x’s, and no smiley face.

I had washed my hand.
But I had washed around the star.

“Children,” she asked with scary sweetness, still gripping my wrist,
“remember our lesson on the importance of cleanliness?”
Everyone nodded.
Except me.
I was clenching my teeth, trying not to blink,
so that tears wouldn’t spill.

My teacher clucked her tongue again,
dropped my hand, and strutted off to the next desk,
to deliver the next graded math paper.

Hiding my right hand under my desk,
I pinched off the star,
folded it into itself,
hid it in my pocket,
and then tried to rub off
its grayish, adhesive outline.
I wanted to go wash off the star’s shadow in the girls’ bathroom.
But I was too afraid to raise my hand to ask permission.

Have you ever dug into your past as I have in this poem, to examine the profundity of relatively mundane moments that influenced your evolution? Try walking in your smallest shoes again so you can see your little child self with new empathy.

Manners Make Us Memorable

          Manners make us memorable, either as courteous, compassionate folks, or as people who practice acceptable social customs out of obligation and respect for traditions, or even as hypocrites who use politeness to disguise disdain. Here, in poetry, are some thoughts about manners:

Definitely!

by Susan L. Lipson

They agreed that it was fabulous to reconnect after so long,

that they needed to get together--DEFINITELY!

And that old sentiments renewed should be called "resentiment."

They laughed together, then exchanged phone numbers, emails, smiles, and hugs.

She texted her long-lost friend the next day, to say how thrilled she felt to be back in touch.

The text evoked a "ditto" and a smiley face in reply. 

And that reply evoked an invitation to get together,

which remained unanswered for two days, 

before being re-sent, along with the words, "You probably didn't get my text, so…".

A day later she re-sent the text again, and then re-sent a new one,

and finally, "resentiment" became RESENTMENT.

And "definitely" became a lie.

You’re Welcome 

by Susan L. Lipson

You’re welcome—to take your place

below her,

once you’ve finished gushing,

“Thank you so much for your help--thank you!”

and she replies nonchalantly,

“You’re welcome,”

but never, “Thank YOU—

Thanks for asking me.”

No, that would mean

you’re welcome

to bother her again,

and clearly you’re not.

To thank someone for effusive thanks

creates balance,

equates giving and receiving,

and negates power of one over another.

“You’re welcome,” blithely uttered,

implies a privilege granted,

a favor tallied,

and only rarely a follow-up offer

to “feel free to ask again, anytime.”

Sympathy Cards 

She called to ask whether we received her sympathy card,

and whether we knew that she had made a donation in memory

of our dearly departed.

She didn’t ask how we are coping with the loss.

She didn’t even mention my mom-in-law's name,

or any memory of times spent with her.

She was just wondering—“no pressure, of course!”—

since she’d never received a thank-you card.

“But that really doesn’t matter, of course,” she assured me,

“since I’m sure you’ve been so busy since….”

And then she assured me yet again: “You know, dear, that you have

my sincere sympathy, in any case—

card or no card.”

Whose card did she mean?

And why must I thank her for mere sympathy,

which is like a carefully wrapped package of nothing,

without the true gift of Empathy rattling within.

Sympathy is what you SHOW to others; Empathy is what you FEEL for them.

Sympathy is external; Empathy is internal.

Sympathy is a polite action; Empathy is a compassionate one.

Sympathy is expected in polite society; but Empathy is a welcome, cherished surprise.

Sympathy can be expressed by greeting cards; Empathy is only expressed in sincere words and/or hugs.

Sympathy is announced; empathy is understood.

Sympathy shows caring; Empathy creates sharing.

Sympathy is to shine another’s beaten-up shoes; Empathy is to wear those shoes.

Loss is cluttered by the sympathetic shoe-shiners,

But simplified by those who share our burdens,

Leaving us a smaller fraction of grief to bear alone.