Under Other Stars

[Kenneth2816]

In '44 my mother took a year off
from college to fly airplanes from

the Army proving grounds to California for combat in
the Pacific Theater,
rode the train back home.

She wore slacks, smoked in public,
dated the captain of the football team. She read Camus, Kinsey and Nietzsche.

Twenty years later her
three sons followed
to the city pool on the day the first colored kids were allowed to swim.

All the other mothers clucked and strutted, white as plucked chickens, ordered their own kids from the pool.

My mother with fire engine red lipstick , pointy- framed sunglasses touched us on the shoulder and gently said, "get in."

[BobBradshaw]

Wonderful poem....I love the close: "get in".

[IndianaDP]

Great poem Ken, your mother sounds like a wonderful woman. The ending so abrupt and so spot on.

[Kenneth2816]

Thank you both