Economics by Victoria Redel

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend May 10, 2015   Economics   Victoria Redel

There were strollers, outgrown, circulated till a wheel fell off. Anna’s infant RockaRoo went to Francesca then to Sophia who gave it back to Anna when she had the twins. Travel cribs traveled between homes and the green vest Sophia knitted for Ming’s first was worn by all the next babies. Onesies, drawstring gowns, snap-legged overalls, snowsuits, sweatpants, jeans, t-shirts, jumpers, all sorted, washed, boxed then sent on till they were sorted, washed, boxed and sent again. Pj’s worn to that silkiest perfection, then worn  wholly through, reluctantly tossed. A blue dress with applique lilacs was the favorite of each girl and who knew where the velvet blazer came from, but it did the job for more than one holiday concert. Even this year, a photograph of Francesca’s youngest in Prague, handsome in that hand-me-down wool pea coat. Sophia hit reply all: Our last? No! Well, fits yours better than it ever did mine.            Copyright © 2015 by Victoria Redel. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   “Oh, for that remarkable and complex economy of motherhood. Those back and forth generosities—where one day a mom ferries the kids to the swim meet, or a mom takes your kid off to the movies while you’re sick with the flu. And the next week after baseball you have all the kids sleep over. Not to mention the friend with whom you freely have the throw-your-hands-in-the-air-I-surrender discussions of how to manage any of it.” —Victoria Redel   Victoria Redel is the author of Woman Without Umbrella (Four Way Books, 2012). She teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and lives in New York City.   Photo credit: Marion Ettlinger Most Recent Book by Redel   Woman Without Umbrella (Four Way Books, 2012) "Another Poem for Mothers" by Erin Belieu "Mother’s Day" by David Young "Mother" by Herman de Coninck Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038