Debut Prize in Poetry Finalist: “A Eulogy for My Grandmother” by Linda Jordan

There are so many gorgeous imagery weaved into a beautiful tenderness and a disquiet in word choice here: "you found a field and planted / a garden of common flowers / in a broken rowboat." This poem is a journey down water and earth, of cinnamon and home-going. “A Eulogy for My Grandmother“ is Linda Jordan’s first poetry publication and a finalist for Touchstone’s 2020 Debut Prize in Poetry.

A Eulogy for My Grandmother

You were pure water
from Sugar Island.
Safely hidden
in the Upper Peninsula
for a time.

But like any priceless
natural resource
you were “discovered,”
plundered and exploited
by men. 

They bottled you 
for their consumption 
and you took a vow of silence. 

Until you escaped.
Like a stream running downhill 
you headed south.
You serpentined over rocks, 
decaying leaves and carcasses.

When you met the river
you floated like an otter 
towards the rapids until
you found a field and planted
a garden of common flowers
in a broken rowboat.

Despite the maggots
you kneaded dough
for bread to feed your children.
You canned peaches 
with a little bit of cinnamon. 

When the tap was dry, your eyes
once wild like prey hatching an escape 
relaxed into the pale blue 
of Kitch-iti-kipi or the Big Spring.

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Linda A. Jordan is an attorney, activist and writer interested in exploring the intersections between emotion and the natural world. She is a proud Michigander and member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe (“Soo Tribe”) of Chippewa Indians. As a public interest attorney, she strives to make Michigan a more equitable place for people experiencing poverty. She is also the founder of Rent Party Detroit, an organization that raises money through the arts and cultural events to prevent eviction in Detroit and educates the public on persistent housing inequities. Linda enjoys writing songs, poetry and fiction.