I cannot help but feel
the look in her eye,
the pride in her voice;
respect
has a certain
momentum.
Scribing lines
become unmistakable
as she remembers
England,
her love of Devon,
and the Mesabi Iron Range
of Northern Minnesota.
It is absently
redisplayed
as she retells
hand-me-down stories,
those
beloved tales
of Gukamonga ,
a little green man,
gifts to my daughter.
Some men
are the products
of their environment
while others
embrace life
pouring
a great wealth
of themselves
into it;
if only
to watch it shine,
recorded
and unforgotten.
Marvin Lamppa
taught his children,
and countless
others,
a sense of pride
steeped
in the rich,
dark soil
of yesterday.
He chose
his battles politically
and academically
and taught
with integrity
ensuring
that history
would in-deed be
a mirror of truth.
I have
never met the man
but I love
his greatest achievement-
daddy's little girl.
Author notes
Marvin Lamppa, longtime history teacher and coach at Mesabi East and highly regarded local historian, wrote “Minnesota’s Iron Country: Rich Ore, Rich Lives.’’ A description of the book reads, “Northern Minnesota has treasures — a land of beauty and heritage but also a land overflowing in natural resources. This story reveals the lives of a remarkable people and the industrial and political forces that built a region and a nation.’’
A contest entry
- When an Old Man Dies, A Library Burns Down by ea.
700 points, ended October 20, 14 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 6 of 6
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you penned the heart into this message and brought new life from history told.. thank you for sharing your mind and pen and in lighting every soul.. hugs always Angel♥
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Like Bearwoman says...This write meanders in warm flow of
that which should always be carried on, embraced.
Each word placed with care, gains emphasis and strikes chords.
Lovely and earthy~A verse that will gain a large circle of appreciation
because it is sincere and identifiable. Blue
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I am honored and truly touched with this display of respect in beautiful verse. My very inner me lives in all these things. The Gukamonga stories my father told us as children, are now gifts to our own. You have not only honored me, but my father as well. Thank you. He truly is a library of wealth.
~Pamela
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This is a stirring, personalized dedication which admiringly speaks of both a real life and a literary father/daughter team. I'm sure Pamela will be very moved.
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Beautiful
This piece has a magical, mystical, lyrical kind of quality to it. Like a river or stream, kind of meandering and with a deep silt bed built up over time.
I particularly enjoyed "Some men / are the products / of their environment / while others / embrace life / pouring / a great wealth / of themselves / into it;"
Best of luck in the contest.
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