Frances Richey: A Mother’s Conflict

The war in Iraq has been one of the most controversial conflicts in American history. It has produced many heated debates and many questions about whether it was justified. Many of those concerned are the parents of American troops who are fighting in Iraq. One such mother is Francis Richey. Ms. Richey’s son served in Iraq and is now done with his career in the military. While he was over there however, his mother chose to deal with her considerable anxiety over his safety by writing poetry. It was this collection of poetry that I was able to hear her read. She succinctly expresses different things that she spoke to her son about and things that she, as his mother, felt.

            In one form or another the poems all dealt with Ms. Richey’s son and his experiences in the military. Some of Ms. Richey’s poems were centered on things that her son had told her about his military training. One such story involved her son having to kill a rabbit with no provocation. His instructor told him to smash it’s head and he did so. Another of her poem’s dealt with her son and his military issued gun. She wanted to see it before he left and he did not want this. This poem in particular shows us a lot about the mother and son relationship. He did not want his mother to be concerned or worried but she wanted to know about what he did. All of these poems had a great deal of emotion behind them, which was evident in Ms. Richey’s face as she read. This was something that I found very interesting because this shows us that she chose to write about something that she cared deeply about. This personal connection mad the work that much better.

            Francis Richey also gave us advice about writing in general. I found it interesting that she started out as a business writer and not a poet. She became a poet because it was something that she enjoyed. She also chose to write about something that had meaning for her. This is something that I took to heart. I, as an aspiring writer, want to do something that I love. I also understand that it is made better when you have a topic that you genuinely care about. One last thing that Ms. Richey said that I really appreciated was that better writing comes when you don’t know the ending.            

In addition to reciting her poems, Ms. Richey also gave us an insight into her relationship with her son. She is someone who was not in favor of the war and he was a soldier who wanted to serve his country. She expressed to us that they were often at odds over political issues and that he would take her disapproval of the war to be a disapproval of him. She wanted him to know that she was always proud of him no matter what he did. These poems served a very personal purpose but Francis Richey chose to share them with the world and most importantly with other mother’s who were going through what she did. Ms. Richey delivered powerful messages to those who listened to what she said. She is truly an inspiring person.