When Memory Calls
©2024 Susan Noyes Anderson
Image by Ave Calvar on Unsplash
When memory calls out to me,
I open up life’s book
and turn the pages backward for
a long and lovely look.
Family Relationship Poems
My heart is most pleased and blessed by family and family relationship poems, for they are closest to my heart. Some of these offerings are funny, moving, nostalgic, or religious. Others are more complex, refusing (as families themselves do) to fit neatly under any one characterization. My poems value the complexity of every family relationship and respect those who honor and uphold it. I hope you find something that resonates with you here. May the poems evoke feelings (delightful and occasionally less so) that we all associate with being part of a family.
FINDING THE POEM YOU WANT: As you scroll through this section, simply read each snippet sample (usually the first four lines) to get a feel for the poem. When you find something you like, click “CONTINUE READING” to view the entire poem.
(My work may be used free for non-commercial purposes only. Please request permission by email and include full copyright information, legibly printed, on every copy made. For internet use, a link back to the poem on this website is required.)
Define (Divine) Tradition
©2009 Susan Noyes Anderson and reworked in 2024
Tradition is the golden thread
that binds our lives together,
weaving through every memory
sweet ties that last forever.
It shines a light on every face,
adds luster to the commonplace,
reminds us of a distant song
and tells our hearts where we belong.
Love Is a Braid
©2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
LOVE IS A BRAID
image by Tamara Bellis on Unsplash
Stranded we are –
lone shafts of golden grain,
bowing and weaving,
laid low by wind and rain –
raised to bright sky.
What Is a Father?
©2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
image by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
What is a father meant to be?
A haven, a refuge, a sheltering tree,
a pathway to follow, a good name to share,
a standard to hold up and faithfully bear,
a teacher, a mentor, a gift from above
to guide us, to lead us, to lift us with love.
∞§∞
If this poem resonates with you, you might also enjoy Father’s Fan Club.
A Mother’s Love
©2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
image by Karl Hedin from Unsplash
A mother’s love is bedrock and quicksilver.
It anchors her whole heart, then sets it free.
Forever bound, adorned in golden soul-strings,
she shimmers with eternal destiny.
defining magic
©2023 Susan Noyes Anderson
image by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash
hearts together, secrets shared
disagreements, gently aired
private jokes and public smirks
comfort with each other’s quirks
The Beach House
©2022 Susan Noyes Anderson
We came here every year
for years and years.
It was our jam.
We’re gathered here again
at last, but now
you’re on the lam.
The Star Maker
©2022 Susan Noyes Anderson
I was a shooting star, my mother said,
a force as bright and bold as sun and sea.
Mom’s heart claimed me with joy that never fled––
her lightning bolt of untamed energy.