​POETRY   
         
'We resurrect her art supplies. 
    She paints memories in a room of her own."
                           Photo by Weebly.com                                

A Room of Her Own
by Kathryn Santana Goldman

​​My mother was born 2 minutes after her twin sister.  
One of four daughters, she shared a bedroom  
of congenial confusion. 
 
Secure within a lively Italian household,
she was surrounded by rich aromas of old country recipes,
the music of broken English,
the reassuring rituals of bedtime prayers.
 
She married the boy next-door 
and moved across the street,  
within whispers of her family’s safe harbor. 
The sisters wed diverse partners,
 
Mexican, Irish, English.
Within this cultural melting pot
eight children arrived,
heralding in new traditions,
 
and honoring the old.
The rich cacophony of Happy Birthdays
flowed into Joy to The World---
symphonies for new generations.
 
Families outgrew the neighborhood,
spread out to new parishes,
St. Brendan’s, St. Elizabeth’s, St John’s--
carrying their recipes and prayers with them.
 
My parents joined the exodus,
moved to Belmont overlooking a canyon.
Beyond the compound of her family,
the geography of her life expanded.
 
She adapted by being in constant motion,
holiday bake sales for work,
Halloween costumes for grandchildren,
skillfully adorning canvases with oil.
 
Widowed at 87, death redrew 
the geography of her independence.  
She had never been alive
alone. 
 
Eight years later, her constant motion persists. 
only slower, unsteady.  The remaining matriarch,
nieces visit, grandchildren call.
She exchanges letters with her remaining girlfriends.
 
We resurrect her art supplies. 
She caresses cherished pastels,  
blends colors with her life-worn fingers, 
and paints memories in a room of her own. 


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​​A native of San Francisco, Kathryn Santana Goldman’s interest in poetry began when she was working in ICU as a registered nurse. She used this practice to process the variety of stressful scenarios experienced. Over the years, she has continued to experiment with different types of writing such as short stories and plays. As an avid traveler, Kathryn has become skilled at capturing photographs about the diversity she encounters. Three years ago, she began to combine her love of photography with her writing by using the images she captures as seeds for her poems. She continues to explore new ways to use these two art forms to share her experience with family and friends.
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Vistas & Byways Review is the semiannual journal of fiction, nonfiction and poetry by members of Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at San Francisco State University​.​
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​Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at San Francisco State University (OLLI at SF State) provides communal and material support to theVistas & Byways  ​volunteer staff.