What’s in a name

Kathleen Dawson Clancy
Nov 2 · 1 min read

Part I

Our first daughter
her middle name
belongs to my grandmother

The women who raised my mother
and five others
on her own
Who worked multiple jobs
to keep the lights on
and always kept the house warm

The woman who walked
away from a man
who couldn’t keep it together
even when the world told her
she couldn’t
She can’t
She’d become a single mother

The woman who kept herself in school
when her stepmother took her out
who had the teacher bring her books
to the back door at night
when everyone else was asleep
so she could read
and write
and dream

The woman who carved
her own path
Who moved to the city
and served her country
Who never met a stranger
or a problem
she couldn’t face

The woman who kept her family close
as time pulled them a part
who held me tight
and told me I was loved
always

Who taught my mother to mother
and to keep her family close too

Our first daughter
she carries this name
This fire in her heart

Kathleen Dawson Clancy

Short stories and poems about motherhood, grief, and life. Follow along @kdawsonclancy on instagram.

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