For Adele Alexandrine Ludivine
a baby sitter whenever needed
bearer of jars of delicious barley broth
fresh flowers picked from her tiny garden
fresh herbs and sometimes a small bottle
of eau de cologne
her granddaughter
always returned home to a
a pile of washing and ironing done
dusting? gasp !( who did that)
shopping coupons? (gasp !)
a gift of sensible stockings (gasp !)
a fifty dollar note in a birthday card
which she could little afford
from coins set aside all year
and countless other gifts and kindnesses
all accepted as a rite of passage
an expectation
blood being thicker than water
(so they say)
thinking
it was nothing extraordinary
until her selfish granddaughter learnt|
through her arduous journey in life
that it was extraordinary
that she was extraordinary
and with lasting regret
realising it far too late
when she had already gone
Sunday Scribblings # 38
PSU
We, humans--especially when we are young--seem to be experts at the terrible art of not seeing wonder when it's right in front of our eyes. We miss the value of so many people, misunderstand the worth of their actions... of their being. Recognizing these facts is so bittersweet, probably even more than bittersweet. I think they flood the heart with mixture of regret and longing--the last stanza reads thick with those feelings.
ReplyDeleteI expect she loved so well and truly that her joy was in the giving. And, although we always wish to have said and done things while people were still alive, perhaps she does know of the gratitude now. I love all the wonderful details in this poem.
ReplyDeleteGrandmothers are missed and are meant to be cried for when they depart. Mine was a refuge and confiadant for me. Be prepared, it is harder still to lose a mom.
ReplyDeleteSo often we don't take the time to acknowledge the people in our lives who will be recognized and revered after they are gone. We need to be more aware.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite role in life ~~~ that of grandmother. I am loved by my grandchildren who show it and I know it.
ReplyDeleteheart rendering and a lesson in selflessness ... I love this poem.
ReplyDelete