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center for writing | minnesota writing project | mwp invitational summer institute | institute fellows 2016

Kate Fullmer

©2016

Mostly

A woman who raised children in Chicago, mostly.
And showed what a mid century wife can do.
A woman who cooked and baked and biked
And did, mostly.
A woman who grabbed her children off the streets when the city burned
Who was there when Emmett Till’s body came home
And lived
On a promise, a prayer, and chance, mostly.

A woman who raised children alone, mostly
And showed what a Midwestern farm woman can do
A woman who cooked and baked and waited
And did, mostly.
A woman who supported a husband who loved alcohol
Who was not happy in marriage and home
And lived
On a promise, a prayer, and a wish, mostly.

A woman who stayed home, mostly
And showed what education can do.
A woman who exercised and crafted and gardened
And did, mostly.
A woman who read while stirring spaghetti sauce
Who left home to make a better home
And lived
On a promise, a prayer, and a choice, mostly.

A man who was never home, mostly.
And showed what hard work can do.
A man who worked and fished and fixed
And did, mostly.
A man who played sports when young at heart
Who stayed home to make a better home
And lived
On a promise, a prayer, and guilt, mostly.

A woman who is asking questions
And shows what following a path might do
A woman who dances and runs and thinks
And does, mostly.
A woman who struggled in school as a child
Who left home to make her own home
And lived
On a promise, a prayer, and hope, mostly.