I was thinking of your mother today
the first woman you ever loved
the one all others must measure up to
the first sound you ever heard
the beating of her heart
as she nourished you
and dreamt of you
before your birth
cradled there
in the warmth
of her body
which now
has turned
to silver
ashes
in your
hand

For Phyllis Kennedy: November 10, 1922 - January 13, 2000

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Sharmagne Leland-St. John

Sharmagne Leland-St. John is a Native American poet, concert performer, lyricist, artist, and filmmaker. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the poetry e-zine Quill & Parchment. Sharmagne spends time between her home in the Hollywood Hills in Southern California and her fishing lodge on the Stillaguamish River in the Pacific Northwest. She tours the United States, Canada, and England as a performance poet, either solo or with her band of poets "Poetry in Motion." Her new chapbook, Unsung Songs, is in its third printing.

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"Unconditional Love" has appeared in Quill & Parchment and the book Unsung Songs.

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© 2006 Sharmagne Leland-St. John