Poetry, Quadrille, Theme Prompt, Word Challenge, Word Prompt, Writing Challenge, Writing Prompts

What My Mother Taught Me

Nancy's Notes 🖊️♬

Written for dVerse Poets – ‘Quadrilling
without a care in the world.’ Our host,
Sanaa, asks us to write a poem in 44
words using a form of the word “care”.

Image by Me & ChatGPT

Some mornings I forget how to care,
then remember: unlock the door,
water the plant, call my sister.
My mother was a caretaker
of broken things….bruised tomatoes,
chipped cups, the neighborhood stray cat, people.
She taught me that caring is simply
attention and love.

NAR©2026

This is “Handle With Care” by the Traveling Wilburys

Q. 252 – Quadrilling without a care in the world  

Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.

31 thoughts on “What My Mother Taught Me”

  8. The Travelling Wilbury’s….every voice so unique and recognizable but put together they were such a powerhouse. Great song to go with the poem. You had a good mom, Nancy.

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    1. I did, Lois; I wish I realized that sooner.

      The Wilburys. Imagine being in a room with these musical giants who were best friends getting together to jam and have a good time. No egos, no walking on tiptoes. Just the guys hanging in Dylan’s studio. What a massive collection of talent and genuine camaraderie.

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  10. Mine was the same way. God made women that way, empathetic to everything, then he made us guys, knuckle dragging Neanderthals that like tools. I have a feeling you are much like your mother.

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    2. Hey! My mother taught me not to knuckle drag! There’s still the Neanderthal brain getting in the way. I did opt for Cooking and Typewriting instead of Wood and Metal work at school though. 👍

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      1. Yeah, I did two years of typing, so when computers came around, I was ahead of the game, sort of. We used those Underwoods and then IBM electrics. My wife Momo gifted me an Underwood student portable a few years back and it kills my fingers to use it. I still knuckle drag once in a while and chew on raw meat.

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