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My Raggedy Ann Doll

3/8/2016

6 Comments

 

Picture
Raggedy Ann kept Grandpa company.
Every day she traveled to work.
I stood on the curbside,
Jumping up and down…
Stretching to watch the old Dodge
Slowly make its way
Down the friendly Emmaus street.
Grandpa waving Raggedy Ann out the window,
Grandma clutching my hand to keep me safe.
Funny…that’s why I sent my doll with him -
To keep Grandpa safe.
 
Every evening they would return
With stories about their day.
Minnie (that’s what I called her)
And Grandpa had deliciously delicious tales.
Allentown Plumbing and Heating Supply,
A bustling place filled with mostly men.
I was secretly greener-than-green with envy.
I wished I could have traded places.
I wished I could have been that doll.
I yearned for all her adventures,
The fun she had each day with Grandpa.
 
Grandpa’s been gone for many years,
But I still have that doll.
She sits on my bureau where I can see her.
Every day, I see her and the photo beside her.
My eyes linger there for a long time -
The silvery hair and too-much-time-in-the-sun face,
The hazel eyes that match my own and the high brow,
The strong hands that often held a rake or a saw,
The wisdom earned from being a grandfather.
I am glad I still have Raggedy Ann, but…
Wish I could trade her for Grandpa.


6 Comments
Clare link
3/8/2016 03:39:50 am

Lynne - this is beautiful. Objects are so powerful. I have been taking pictures of objects that evoke memories/slices and keep them in a folder on my desktop. I love having so many things from my childhood in my house now. I too wish I could trade them... but the memories are still pretty special. Thank you
Clare

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lynne dorfman link
3/8/2016 05:41:57 am

Thanks, Clare. I think I am going to try a few more writing pieces around objects. I have always loved Aunt Flossie's Hats and Bette Doll, Small Beauties. So many picture books written around objects. I always appreciate your thoughts!

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Rose
3/8/2016 04:20:01 am

The poetry format really helps evoke the emotion. For some reason, feelings seem easier to find in a poem, at least for me. Love that Raggedy Ann!

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Cindy link
3/8/2016 04:46:17 am

Beautiful connections! Takes me back to my Raggedy Ann doll, and my grandparents.

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Adrienne
3/8/2016 05:34:46 am

I still have the Raggedy Andy my Grandma gave me almost 50 years ago. I was upset when I got him because my twin sister got Raggedy Ann. I always got the short end of the stick it seemed. But in the end, I kept my doll and my sister left Ann in a sleeping bag in the shed over winter where she got moldy. Even though he & I had a rough start, we've had a long life together.

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Donna Smith link
3/8/2016 04:01:45 pm

Love the line "Wish I could trade her for Grandpa". I love how you sent her with your grandfather - what a fun thing to remember!

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    Lynne loves to write in the early morning hours, especially in warm weather when she can sit outside on the patio.  After a walk with her three Welsh Corgis, her mind is cleared and her spirit is inspired by the choir of birds in nearby bushes and trrees. 

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