The Green Girls by Nancy Simpson
A young woman with pale lips
sulks under a Mimosa tree
holding knees close to her breast.
She does not wave at me today
as I drive past. I know why
or think I know, having seen
her sister walking on the road,
head down, tears on her face.
Why have they quarreled?
One is not lovelier than the other.
Both are smart. I heard
their teacher say one could run
a corporation. The other
might be governor someday.
Mimosa is not Poinciana
though there is relation in the shape
of leaves that never grow larger
than the size of fingernails.
These sisters have power.
They turn back my seasons. I sit
with my back against the trunk
of an old tree, raucous with blooms,
myself young and growing. Poinciana
leaves in profusion turn yellow
and shed, painting my old home
front steps in sunny pointillism.
Mother appears, still sweeping,
still trying to remove the stain.
More lasting than a painting,
my sister comes out of the house.
She slams the door, her anger
as vivid to me now as it was.
I want to tell the Green Girls
they will forget why they quarreled.
When they ask their mother, she’ll say
she doesn’t remember or will blame it
on the tree’s inordinate shedding.
I want to tell them the word despise
is sometimes used among the young,
assure them the kinship of sisters
transcends roots, trunk and crown
of almost any tree that grows.
by Nancy Simpson
———-
I first met Nancy Simpson almost 2 years ago at the Netwest Mountain Writers and Poets monthly meeting- Coffee With The Poets. I was immediately drawn to her powerful poetry written about my beloved Appalachia.
Although I don’t have a sister,The Green Girls spoke to me because it fit Chitter and Chatter’s relationship so well. The girls sometimes argue until a real fistie cuff takes place and someone has to tear them apart-but if an outsider slights (real or imagined) one of them- the other is ready to take on the world with one hand tied behind her back-just begging them to try and hurt her sister again. At our house there are slamming doors, tears, drama, and loving camaraderie in the sister department-just like in The Green Girls.
Nancy Simpson has authored 2 books-Across Water and Night Student. Her poems have been published in various publications such as-The Georgia Review, Southern Poetry Review, and Prairie Schooner. Recently her work as been included in the text books Southern Appalachian Poetry and The Poets Guide to the Birds. Nancy teaches poetry at Young Harris College and is the Resident Writer at the John C. Campbell Folk School. As you can see-I’m not the only fan she has. To find out more about Nancy Simpson please visit her at Living Above the Frost Line.
I ask Nancy if she could sum up her feelings about Appalachia for me. Nancy said:
Appalachia is home in my heart. I was pulled to these mountains of Western North Carolina in the 1960s. I became a student of education at Western Carolina University, graduated and taught in Clay County Schools for 26 years.
I had never written a poem before, but after living in the mountains, I started writing. I studied and earned a Master of Fine Arts in Writing at Warren Wilson College.
Appalachia is the place where my soul found peace, where I found the home in my heart.
Sounds like Appalachia is responsible for Nancy’s writing-something I can totally relate too.
Hope you enjoyed The Green Girls and learning about a very talented Appalachian Writer-Nancy Simpson.
Tipper
A truly marvelous post! Nancy Simpson’s poem is just wonderful, and I can see why you would relate to it because of your girls. Thank you for introducing us to Ms. Simpson’s work.
Marie
I loved Green Girls!
I never had a sister, and have always bemoaned that fact. When I was a young girl in my teens, I recall good friends of mine, sisters to each other, who’d fight like cats and dogs. Just as with Chitter and Chatter, they were each other’s biggest defenders in time of need. As adults, they are best of friends!
Wow! Very powerful.Thank you for sharing!
Having both sisters and daughters, I can completely relate to this poem. So very true to how that sister relationship is.
I love her comment about her Appalachian home being the inspiration of her writing. We all need a spot like that!
Nancy’s poem touches my heart. It is well written and full of wisdom. It is like your Green Girls. They have such a strong bond.
I have a sister of blood, but never really a sister. Like Mary, it’s a long story. Last night for supper I had home canned tomato soup, a comfort food I learned about from my sister of the soul! She is more dear to me than my blood sister ever was.
Thank you for the beautifully thoughtful post and the wonderful picture accents!
What a beautiful poem. Simple, lovely words.
I love it! Vivid poetry, and reminds me of my sister and I also! Thanks for sharing Nancy’s art!
Tipper,
The poem tells the story of most sister relationships, though I don’t have one so close with my sister. It goes back many years and is a long story.
The work of Ms Simpson is lovely. She is a talented lady.
I enjoyed visiting with you, as always. I hope all is well in your Appalachians.
Blessings,
Mary
Thanks for sharing the poem. Beautiful!
It’s hard to explain to outsiders what living in Appalachia means…it’s hearth and warmth and family.
Morning Tipper! A truly reflective and poignant poem. Ms.
Simpson expresses great wisdom in that the quarrels between us are always forgotten, so why in the first place? So many silly reasons. Your photo seems to show the same reflection. A lovely post, Tipper!
Thanks for the poem. Very beautiful. My husband who grew up with all boys has so much trouble understanding the emotions of our girls. To say they frustrate him is an understatement! I know he loves them nonetheless. Growing up with four sisters, I can certainly identify with this poem.
Hello all. Thanks for your comments on “The Green Girls”. In the publishing world, it is called acceptance and writers need that every once in a while to keep putting the pen to the page.
Tipper, Thank you. I like the way you used your photos with “The Green Girls.” And thanks for the write up. Your blog is one of my favorites. I check it
every day.
The Green Girls is a marvelous piece. Teaches me a lesson I need to learn!
That poem touched me deeply as I went through it all with my 4 sisters. Loved the pictures of you and Chitter and Chatter. Always nice to see you all. Thank you for sharing this beautiful post. xxoo
I hold back every day. I start to tell you the pleasure the day’s essay or article gives me. Then I see all the others commenting. I start thinking I can’t express my feelings any better than your other readers have already done. There isn’t a long list of words that can say beautiful or wonderful differently.
If I could get Appalichia out of my soul, I think I would. Because I can’t stay there, or be there, or even visit enough to fix the need. Still, your essays are a balm for my pining and a salve on my melancholy.
I love Nancy’s poem, The Green Girls. Sisters are so special. Your post is special also, Tipper.
The photos always work so well with the words.
Thanks,
Glenda
Tipper I like this. It brings back memories of the love/hate relationship of my two older sisters. Glad to say they get along fine now but they sure fought back then.
Very interesting presentation. Thanks for the introduction. Pappy
Oh, wow. What a great poem. I am going to have to learn more about her!
I love this poem! You have such great taste in what you share 🙂 Your girls are such great sisters!
That was an interesting poem. I have 2 sisters and luckily we have never quarreled much.
Beautiful poem and pictures, Tipper.
Ms. Simpson is very talented.
Tipper: Wonderfully written and the comparison to the girls is outstanding. the lady is very talented and she writes beautifully.
lovely poem, simple and deep at the same time.