Lawrence and Virginia

The poem was a failure
Its reference point an obscure monk
Known mostly for doing dishes
Who found it was not too bad if
You could see Christ reflected in the suds

My cracked hands were seeing a lot of suds
So I bought gloves like my Grandma Virginia
Now I wonder what the Brother would say
Must suds meet skin to count it devotion
Is it enough just to see the reflection

Grandma kept my first poem
Itself a raging, elementary-school success
Maybe she saw a little of Christ there
Being of a generation that valued words
Stashing homegrown poetry in letters and drawers

Today I struggle to recite what she carefully kept
Reaching for lines as I linger with Lawrence at the sink
Turning it over in my mind like his example
Images of Virginia with her gloves in the suds
Serving with care and dignity

The Brother reminds me that all service
Is rendered to Christ, always to Christ
The poems too, both failures and successes
In return I receive the gift of Lawrence and Virginia
Conversing, keeping company in my kitchen

©2024 Jacqueline Tisthammer. All rights reserved. 

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash

7 thoughts on “Lawrence and Virginia”

  1. I absolutely love this Jackie.  Mom did care about words and I have a few of the poems written by her mother which I love.

    I also use rubber gloves when doing the dishes both because they keep my hands from getting sore but frankly who wants to touch the yuk that sometimes ends up in the dish pan.

    Thanks for sharing. 

    What are your Thanksgiving plans?  We will host the Mike Webbs and Matthew on Wed evening and our friend Amanda and her niece and great nephew and niece who live with her (and Matthew) on Thursday. (I think the Mike Webbs are hosting her sister and family from Ann Arbor) There will be much cooking and much doing of dishes.  We are hoping Matthew will help us do some Christmas decorating on Saturday.

    We are going to Bridgeport next Thursday to help host a graham cracker house decorating party for Samantha’s piano studio.  Since it gets dark so early we will spend the night since they are no longer using the downstairs as an Airbnb.

    Love you,  Aunt Carol

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    1. I’m glad you liked it! I’ve always associated the dish gloves with Grandma Page for some reason, I was worried I had remembered wrong. 😅 This poem came from a moment of fond remembrance of her and the example of Brother Lawrence. If you’ve never heard of him, it’s worth a Google search!

      We’ll be in Montara this Thanksgiving! Sounds like you have a fun couple weeks planned 💕

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