Friday, December 10, 2010

A Madonna And A Haiku


Oh, Sue-Sue, thank-you
For sharing your love with me
Of holy mothers

As I wrote the other day, it was my friend Sue who introduced me to the love of the Madonnas. Her house was EAT up with Madonnas.
She liked Madonna, too, but that's another subject.
I remember when she got sick she said, "You'd think with all these Virgins around, no illness could get in."
"If that were true," I said, "the pope would never die."

Ah lah.

So when Sue died, I got this Madonna and I do love her. I love the thumb clutching the cloak together, the delicate winged eyebrow, the halo-moon above her.
I love the faded blues and still-strong gold, the bright red around her neck and her expression, not quite sad, not quite happy, very serious.
I love her mostly because she was Sue's. I keep her in my bathroom which is one of my favorite rooms. It is not irreverent, I think, mostly because I can lie in my bathtub and look up at her and that makes me happy. She is there, and I like to think she does not mind my nudity.

For far more reverent takes on the Madonna, please go visit rebecca.
And for far more beautifully written haiku, go to the same place.
One-stop shopping, y'all. Can't beat that.

And now, because I can, here's another Owen picture.



I told Lily today that I could just take pictures of this boy all day. I cried right after I took this one and she said, "Is it because he's using a fork?"
"Yes," I said. I didn't even mention the way his beauty makes my heart overflow until my eyes must leak it.
"Well, quit crying. He doesn't use it very well."

My Lily girl. Owen's Holy Mother.
Sue's Madonna in my beautiful bathroom.

Blessings all.

In my world, at least.

12 comments:

  1. A good enough reason as any to cry, sometimes. Beautiful boy.

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  2. Sweet post, Mary.

    Love the new masthead photo!

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  3. i am filled with your perfect simplicity and overwhelming depth.

    oh ms. moon....
    i am breathing you in right now.

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  4. Man, I love Lily. She's so damn funny.

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  5. SJ- Sometimes love overtakes you.

    Kathleen- Do you like it? I was shocked at how well the photo turned out.

    Elizabeth- I do too. God. I do.

    rebecca- And I am breathing you in too. Straight to my heart.

    DTG- She is the funniest of the pragmatic. She is the mother-est of the mother bears.

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  6. owen and lily, blessings both. reason enough to cry with a full heart,

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  7. I'm glad you wrote today-I missed your 'hearing' your muse yesterday.
    I love that you can find humor in all that life throws at you. I feel your loss too, of the wonderful, sweet Sue and how she passed her love of Madonnas on. I'm afraid she may have taken it to the next level for me, as now I feel that it is indeed a good idea to have more images of her in my dwelling.
    Owen is incredibly precious.

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  8. Very nice post. When my mom passed last year, I got some religious things that she left, one was a Madonna, (I posted about itmon Day 1). I also got one of her rosaries. I have a little box of the religious things she left behind. Theyvare all precious to me, and a reminder that she loved me. I feel your friend Sue left you the same message.
    I have a Lilly too! (Ours uses 2 "L's" in the middle) All the children make me cry when Imsit and watch them, especially as they sleep.

    Peace.

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  9. Angella- Perfectly true.

    Paula- I love that Sue is still remembered here. That I can give her, at least a little bit, to this world.

    Spadoman- A friend gave me a rosary once. I gave it to my friend, Freddy because he is Catholic and he knows I am nothing religious at all, but I gave it with a pure heart and he took it in that spirit.

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  10. I do like that Madonna. And we do have one in the house. It is a very old Currier and Ives lithograph with the baby Jesus sitting on his mother's lap.

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