Christmas Past: The Afterglow
©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
One melancholy sight to see:
a brittle, barren Christmas tree.
The lights that twinkled are no more,
pine needles lie upon the floor,
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.)
Grateful, We Gather
©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson (Image by Norman Rockwell)
We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing,
for richly He’s blessed us, in years now gone by.
The warmth of our hearth and the love of our family
are more than good fortune; they’re gifts from on high.
Climbing My Family Tree
©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson (poem only)
When life is less than kind to me,
I climb right up my family tree.
Families Are Forever
©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson
Familes Are Forever
“Families Are Forever,”
says the sign upon our wall.
I look at it and smile because
I love mine, one and all.
All in the Family
©1993 Susan Noyes Anderson (poem only)
I’ve got the nose of Uncle Gene,
the eyes of Grandpa Fred,
the mouth of Aunt Virginia, and
the chin of Cousin Ted,
A Song for my Mother
©2010 Susan Noyes Anderson (poem only)
What song shall I sing for my mother? What key?
Which chords own the notes that will set her joy free?
Was psalm ever born that could raise her hopes high
as the million bright stars she has hung in my sky?
My Mother Taught Me
©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson (poem only)
My mother taught me how to play
each note to form a song.
She showed me how to hold the bow
and keep my down stroke strong.
Grandpa’s A Really Good Guy,
Oh My!
©2010 Susan Noyes Anderson
Grandpa’s a really good guy.
He knows how to make a kid fly.
He fills up his jeanses
with bright jelly beanses