FROM THE HEART(LAND) by Paula M. Wanken

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FROM THE HEART(LAND)

~ A Poetic Memoir ~

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Who Am I? (Paula M. Wanken)……………………………………………………………1

From Whence I Came…………………………………………………………………………2

Produce(d) On A Farm……………………………………………………………………….3

House On The Hill……………………………………………………………………………..4

My Own Little World………………………………………………………………………….5

Mind The Gap…………………………………………………………………………………..6

Life And Death………………………………………………………………………………….7

Up In The Air: An Affair To Remember……………………….:…………………………8

Making History…………………………………………………………………………………..9

Leaving Home…………………………………………………………………………………..10

Mamma Mia!…………………………………………………………………………………….11

Citizenship………………………………………………………………………………………..12

A Time To Reap…………………………………………………………………………………13

Just A Matter Of Time…………………………………………………………………………14

Living In The Now……………………………………………………………………………..15

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WHO AM I?
(Paula M. Wanken)

P eople see
A quiet person;
U sual-
L y I am
A ccused of being grumpy.

M y smile stays hidden,

W aiting to
A cclimate to the
N ewness. Once
K nown, there is
E ndless loyalty and love…
N ot to mention, smiles.

-1-

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FROM WHENCE I CAME

Stoic and
reserved with strangers,
yet ready
and willing
to lend a hand whenever
my help is needed.

My love of
country, evident;
my simple
faith is clear.
A keen mind–education
key to confidence.

Though my feet
haven’t touched her soil
I find my
character
firmly rooted in the traits
of the Norwegians.

-2-

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PRODUCE(D) ON A FARM

Living on a farm meant more than a long bus ride to school each day; and black dirt meant more than messy shoes after a spring rain. Rich soil, the foundation of plentiful harvests. Potatoes, peas, green beans, and corn. Tomatoes, carrots, onions, and squash. More fresh produce than one family could consume in a season. Thankfully, canning and freezing what we couldn’t consume meant we had “fresh” produce long into the winter.

produced on a farm
I long for the comfort of
produce on a farm

-3-

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HOUSE ON THE HILL

(a shadorma)

Cornfields as
far as I could see,
except for
the white house
high on the hill…until a
fire took it away.

-4-

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MY OWN LITTLE WORLD

One of two children
on a farm of many acres,
my quest for friends
left me with few takers.

Though other boys and girls
I often went without,
my world was full of friends
of that, there’s no doubt.

Prudence our pup,
a big St. Bernard,
let me hang out with her
in our big front yard.

Sometimes, in the shade,
I’d read a book with Dotty.
She was one of our pigs,
big, white, and spotty.

When I needed a retreat
I’d listen for the meows,
and scramble up the ladder
to look for kitties in the mow.

And so it was, as I went
on my adventures, solo,
with no one to return
my “Marco’s” with “Polo”.

-5-

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MIND THE GAP

At
five
and nine
we were worlds
apart and fought all
the time. However, as we grew
older, the gap closed, and sisters became friends for life.

-6-

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LIFE AND DEATH

Growing up on a farm, one learns at an early age, the cycle of life and death. Kittens born in harsh winters don’t always survive. Calves and piglets grow up to be sold at the market. Dogs that roam the countryside beyond the farm’s fences sometimes do not make it across the road. Even the people we love eventually no longer sit at our table or hold us on their laps.

raised on a farm ~
death is a part of living
spring through winter

-7-

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UP IN THE AIR:
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

To
soar
higher
than treetops,
far above the clouds
where earth’s troubles are forgotten,
that’s where my eyes are brightest, and my smile, the widest.

-8-

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MAKING HISTORY

Rural Iowa living meant spending a lot of time in relative isolation. Six miles of gravel road to the nearest town (population: 450); forty-five miles to the nearest mall–and McDonald’s. This meant almost any trip off the farm was, indeed, a trip. Yet, every summer we anticipated that coveted week away. We visited what was in driving distance—Paul Bunyan State Forest and the headwaters of the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota; the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota; the Wisconsin Dells; and points all across Iowa. History was learned. And made. These trips were some of the best days of my childhood.

passage of time ~
family vacations can be
educational

-9-

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LEAVING HOME

(a shadorma)

Memories
are on a timeline
as before
or after
Mom, my sister, and I left
our family home.

-10-

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MAMMA MIA!

Watch a mamma cat
as she cares
for her kittens,
you will see her
single-handedly
(ok, four-paw-edly)
corral her babies,
groom them,
feed them,
protect them,
teach them, and
keep them in line.
She is creating
newly-independent
cats, ready
for the big world.
If you have seen
a mamma cat in action,
you have seen
my mom.

-11-

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CITIZENSHIP

Senior scholarship
ceremonies,
a time to recognize
the best among us.
The stars, the brilliant.
The names we always hear.

Star athlete, I was not.
Instead, I was on the sidelines
helping the coach,
or taking chewing gum
from the players
before they took the court.

Popular, I was not.
Sure, I got along
with almost everyone.
But you would
not have found me
among the “in” crowd.

Valedictorian, I was not.
Though I did my part,
and was smart
enough to hold my own,
I always fell short
of the top spot.

I attended the ceremony
to cheer on my classmates.
To congratulate the elite
as we waited the finale,
the “all around” award
for outstanding citizenship:

“a student exhibiting
outstanding qualities
of American citizenship;
active in student and community
activities; a reliable
and upstanding individual.”

And the winner is…me!?

-12-

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A TIME TO REAP

(a shadorma)

Reaping the
fruit of your labors
is the norm
on a farm.
Hard work comes with benefits.
A good lesson learned.

-13-

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JUST A MATTER OF TIME

Then…
I didn’t like his nature hikes.
Now…
I have his appreciation of nature.

Then…
I was annoyed by car trips.
Now…
I see with his eyes as I drive the open roads.

Then…
I thought he didn’t care.
Now…
I know he showed love in his own way.

Then…
I thought we would never be close.
Now…
I know it took hard work to get there.

Then…
I thought he’d always be here.
Now…
I miss him every day.

-14-

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LIVING IN THE NOW

The
path
I have
walked hasn’t
always been easy,
and I haven’t always made the
best choices along
the way. Yet,
I’ve no
re-
grets.

-15-