A Poem A Day 15 & 16
Grandma with some of her great-grandchildren
DAY 15:
Sitting on the concrete steps, watching the cars pass by, as we guess each color before they appear. The driveway nestled between walnut trees, the grass just breaking summer green. I walk inside and sit at your feet as you rhythmically rock back and forth in your chair. Your curio cabinet to the left of you is filled with trinkets from your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. My father places a box of wooden blocks in front of me, remnants from my uncle’s cabinet shop. I can still smell the sawdust as I stack them on top of one another. I’m however more entertained by the adults as they speak. I could sit all day and listen to my grandma tell stores. She slowly stands from her chair and grabs my hand, leading me into the kitchen for a treat. Her home - a two-bedroom, one bath, filled with so much love it's busting through the cracked walls.
The chalkboard in her kitchen reads - Don’t Worry Be Happy!
It hangs on the wall next to the telephone with a long plastic curly chord that can reach into the living room. She smiles at me, and I feel more important than any little girl in the world.
Now, as a mother of four, I look at the highlights of grey hair creeping into my jet black hair, and I think of you, grandma. Even at the age of 102, your grey hair hardly showed through your jet black hair. I long to sit at your feet and hear your voice and feel the heat seeping into the room from the ceiling to floor vent. I long for you to smile at me and take my hand and remind me - I am important. I am pretty. And you love me very much.
DAY 16:
I listen as you speak, your brain working faster than your mouth can move. You do nothing slowly - you came into this world fast, started talking before your body looked old enough to carry words, and started running, not walking. From the moment you wake up, you discover more adventures and mysteries than most do in a lifetime. You’re determined to learn how to do everything and be the best at it all! Often, you will lean into me and whisper words of wisdom far beyond your years. I feel spoiled to be the recipient. I watch you as you care for your friends. The way you listen and love them. A part of you is given to each person you come across. As if you leave a trail of light everywhere you go. I watch you as you read, sleep, and meditate when you face softens and your thoughts slow down. The tenderness in your green eyes reminds me to cherish this very minute because you are growing and changing so quickly. I watch as you grow an inch, a foot, new shoes, new pants, longer hair, and I am in awe of the cycle of life and growth.
