"Spires at Dusk", oil on canvas by Tom McGregor/mcgregorart.com.
“Spires at Dusk”, oil on canvas by Tom McGregor/mcgregorart.com.

Her 80th birthday—“Surprise!”

She smiles from the party photo, her last.

As a kid, rushing home after ­basketball,

barely beating curfew,

I’d nuzzle her.

I smell her now,

rosebud salve and a perfume I can’t recall,

but warm and home and Mom.

 

D. Stephen Elliot lives in Lowertown with his wife, an artist, and daughter, a poet. They LOVE Minnesota!

Painter Tom McGregor has had a studio in Lowertown since 1990. His love for this historic area of Saint Paul and the West Side neighborhood, where he lives with his wife, artist Jerri Jo Brandt, is evident in many of his plein air paintings. An active community member, his involvement with the Saint Paul Art Crawl dates back nearly twenty years. www.mcgregorart.com

Posted in: Memories
Tagged: Childhood, children