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Shout your cause poetry sally hendrick

Looking Back from Eighty

by Sally Hendrick

“You better lock those doors and windows, ya here?” Grandma pleaded with me. 

“Wear a cap on the highway, so some stranger won’t try to bump you off the road.”

Until I was married off to Robert, I heard something like this every day from my grandmother. Once I was married, she didn’t worry about me anymore.

To a point anyway. 


Grandkids. Wow. They’re like looking at clones of my babies but with a tinge of something else mixed in. Millie has Zoe’s dimples. Jack has Kat’s chin and eyes, and I can’t get over how they all sound alike on the phone. 

I always thought we’d eventually divorce because I figured all men were bad husbands and fathers, but I’m so glad we stuck it out and stayed together. Not much is unforgivable, and having a partner to raise amazing children with, someone who will give them every opportunity and every dime in the bank account like I would is all that really matters. 

To a point anyway.


It’s hard to believe that I get to be seated as the grandmother of the bride this weekend. I remember my grandmothers both being so proud to be at our wedding. I only wish I could be coherent long enough to not be pitied but to be enjoyed in my old age.

“Want to read my stories?” I tell the grandkids.

“Oh yes, Sugar! I just love your stories! They’re the best!”

“Alright. Let’s go make a banana milkshake like Sudie used to make for me, and I’ll read one or two and answer anything you’d like to know.”

“To a point anyway.”


I’d like to dedicate this piece to Judy and Yvonne, two very special ladies who have inspired me to write about new things from new perspectives. To a point anyway.

HUMBLE PIE

What you don't know about Jim Crow

by Sally Hendrick

Two little girls in rural West Tennessee are best friends but only in secret. Separated by a cotton field, their lives couldn't be any more different. Sudie's and Mabie's friendship, beautiful yet tragic, leaves a mark for generations to come.

Sally takes you on a journey back in time to the early 1900's Jim Crow South, as she imagines what life was like for her grandmother, Sudie, weaving together memories from her own childhood and stories from her family, even the black women who raised her.

Coming someday soon. Please enjoy this chapter for now.

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