Last week while I was sifting through old papers, I found this piece of writing from decades ago. Thankfully, we have all made peace since then . . .
Once upon a time, there was a girl from St. John’s.
At the age of fourteen,
she moved around the bay with her family.
She hated her curly hair,
adored her Persian cat,
and loved to get lost inside stories and songs.
When she grew older,
she fell in love and got married.
She was happy.
She had a beautiful little daughter.
Not long after,
she gave birth to a handsome son.
She liked to tease him and call him
her little “curly boy”
because he so much reminded her of herself.
A few times,
when she and the husband had terrible fights,
she had to take her girl and boy
to her parents’ house.
But the husband would always tell her
how sorry he was,
and she would go back because she loved him,
and wanted to believe him.
Eventually, she stopped believing.
She moved back to St. John’s
and started a new job and a new life.
She still had her beautiful daughter,
but she lost her curly-boy
to his dad.
She found someone
who reminded her of her love
for stories and songs.
She loves her cats,
still hates her curly hair, and
misses her son
with an ache that never goes away
and leaves her pillow wet with tears
every night.
Still, she knows
she is doing the only thing she can.
She hopes someday he will understand
how, once upon a time,
there was a girl from St. John’s
who couldn’t fight anymore,
and only wished for
a happily ever after.
~ Jennifer Kelland, 1995
*Evergreen post from 2014
So glad the “curly boy” is a part of your life now and that you have a wonderful husband.
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Me too, Connie. Thank you so much. ❤️
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Hi Jennifer – I was sad to read these lines, but glad that things are better now. 🧡 For the record, I love your curly hair 🙂
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Thank you, Barbara, I appreciate your kind words. As for my hair, I’ve learned to embrace it since 1995. 😊💕
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I’m glad – I wish my hair were as wavy/curly as yours – mine is wavy but not all around so it’s a mess if I let it dry naturally!
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Thank you for sharing this Jennifer. It sounds like you have come to a place of acceptance. May he too find his way to healing 💕
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You’re welcome, Val. Happily, those days are long behind us. Love for his mom won out in the end. xo
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What I love most about poetry is that messages have the power to touch our souls and allow the connection of minds to flow as one. You reminded me that in the most difficult of circumstances, life brings us to the place of profound decisions, the outcome of which will evolve as the years pass. I am so glad that you wrote this poem and that you generously shared it with me. Sending hugs!
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Hugs back, Rebecca! Thank you for appreciating the piece as it was intended when I first wrote it. The power of self-expression through writing, and as a way to vent the unbearable pain, can be somewhat healing, or at the very least give some relief, even if it is only for the moment. Sharing the pain with empathetic readers also gives some solace. Our lives are filled with difficult circumstances, and writing is one of the ways to cope and reflect. xo
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That is a heart-breaking but uplifting story, Jennifer. Oh my. Sequel please.
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Thank you, Jacqui. We are living the sequel right now. All is well. xo
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I’m happy to know you’ve made peace with the situations, Jennifer.
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You and me both, Jill. Love for his mom won out in the end. xo
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I’m so glad that time has healed your wounds and that love has no limitations. A beautiful reminder that change is always possible. 🙏🏻💕
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With an abundance of love, change IS possible. Thanks, Karen! xo
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A powwerful post
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Thank you, Joanne.
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How heartbreaking, Jennifer. Ah, so emotional I’m glad that you let us know that you’ve made peace. Hugs.
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Thank you, Diana. I don’t know if I could have shared it if we didn’t get the “happy ever after”. Hugs back. xo
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It was painful for me to read this.
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It was no picnic to live through or write about either.
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Oh Jennifer–I was hoping this was story and not true. I, too, went back to the original story. I am thankful for the happy ending.
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You and me both, Lois. Thanks for your caring words. xo
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Jennifer, a powerful piece of writing which encapsulates so much of your life – I had to read the comments on the original post of it and so thankful you and your son are now close again. Those years apart from him must have been heartbreaking for you… enjoy the peace and harmony you have now. hugs xx
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Thank you, Annika. As I mentioned in my last post, creativity is often born out of sadness and pain. You think these sorts of things only happen to other people—-until it happens to you. And yes, thankfully we have been happily reunited long since then. xo
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It hurt my heart to read this. But it sounds like you have your handsome boy back in your life again. xo
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Time has healed most of our wounds. Thanks, Darlene. xo
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