I have a great little book of poetry make by my Aunt Ivanell Ridgway Chesser. She is my aunt that I’ve gotten to know really well in the last few years. She has shown me a number of things that my Grandfather Ridgway did during his life and has commented that I remind her a lot of him. He worked with his hands doing different crafts such as making tools, pottery, building models and drawing. Plus he wrote some poems in this poetry book.

I say Ivanell is the author but the book may have been made my her mother, Iva Villines Ridgway (my grandmother). The book is a collections of poems from her and other members of my family. Most written in the 1940 and 50s. These poems have never been published, except in this little book. The book was give to me as a gift some years ago.

I had the idea to publish these poems here, one my one, when I heard a story on the NPR the other day about how poetry is a dying art. I write poetry myself and I may add to this collections with some of my own works from time to time.

Thanks Ivanell for this collection.

Here is the first of many to come.

 

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Love Goes To all

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**My sisters are like a garden of flowers,

so Lovely, and so sweet, and so True,
Each one has their Own Place
as each flower has it’s gloom.**

 

**If one is picked from it’s stem,

No other can take their place
You may place another there,
but it just fills up the space.**

 

**“That’s why I Love you, SISTER,

because that You are “YOU”
Each year you all grow sweeter
because each love is TRUE.**

 

Iva Ridgway

On this page is a picture of Viola and Iva. That is Ivanell’s mother and aunt (my grandmother and great aunt).