karen mae

on this day
1940
detroit michigan
karen mae severs was born
to robert and edna
the 2nd of 3 children
she was a happy and talkative child
her father nicknamed her "pumpkin"
she played the piano
and painted
a straight-A student too
as a teen
she never aspired to be a housewife
she was independent
and headstrong
she was gonna be an artist
she attended cottey college
a girls school in missouri
on scholarship
then went on to get her masters degree
in art
from the university of illinois
that's where she met fayez
waiting for the bus to come
on a sunday
the buses weren't running that day
they were the only 2 who didn't know that
he asked her to join him for coffee
she thought he was french
she said "yes"
she later said
"he's was the most handsome man that had ever talked to me"
they were married in august of '64
she was 24
her aspirations to become a working artist
squashed by the birth of her first son
me
may, 1967
faris was next in january '69
then miriam and ameer
she set aside her own ambition
to devote her life to raising us
she spent all of the those kid years
in el paso
self-less
with an even temperament
ALWAYS
even in the face of trying to manage
4 rambunctious kids
daily chaos
and pressure to be thrifty
i remember this little green datson
she would try and cram us all into
it was the nourallah clown car

she was (is) a great mom
she taught me that LOVE is supreme
the most important thing in the universe
something to aspire to
and something to cherish when it comes your way
she was always there
to listen
and never judge
interested in whatever i was interested in
always positive and upbeat
she promoted creativity
and individuality
and remained the eternal optimist
even in the face of eternal pessimism
she was always so happy
with an energy for life that still hasn't been dimmed
i'll never forget the horror of seeing her break down
one afternoon when she answered the phone
to hear the news that her brother richard had died
of cancer
i couldn't bear to see her in so much pain
so i went to my bedroom
and tried to drown out the sound of her sobbing
with the sound of music
i still feel badly to this day
that i wasn't able to comfort her in any way

i was very lucky to have been raised by karen mae
such a smart beautiful and charming person
i love her very much