She tucked me into
bed,
wrapped me in
an age-worn quilt
and I slept like the baby
I nearly was.
When I woke,
I pulled the quilt
around me
and tiptoed across
the old wood floors
covered with braided rugs.
Rubbing sleep from my
eyes,
I entered the kitchen
and watched her
sitting at the farm table,
with a cup of
steaming coffee, slicing a wild peach.
Her hands were still strong
then;
and even now I never
see a peach,
smell one, taste one,
without thinking of
her.
She laughed, her
mellow way, eyes crinkling,
when I said how much
I liked the sweetness
but not the fuzzy skin
which poked
like a prickly
moustache against my mouth.
Overheard her saying,
later
that she ‘got tickled’
when I’d said the
pigs rooting in the pen
looked like they had
ribbons in their tails.
When I’d trailed her
to the rabbit cages
and saw a mama rabbit
eat her own baby
she didn’t shield me
from the horror of it,
but let me ask the
hard questions
and answered them, best
she knew.
‘Fascinating’ is what
I’d called it,
when asked about it back
home.
And she was, too,
though I never said it.
Except at the cemetery
overlooking the river
when I wished her
back
to see me enjoy the
sweetness in my life,
to bring lightness
when it poked;
and because the
questions
have only gotten
harder.
But mostly, to hear
her ‘tickled’ laughter
one more time.
Copyright 2012 Jennifer Wagner
For Grandma. Rest in peace, we so often rested in yours.
58 comments:
this is heartfelt...she sounds like a wonderful and caring woman...questions have gotten harder...and i imagine she is still looking in on you...
I feel you here...the peach reminds me of my mom too. Yes...what we would give to hear their laughter one more time. Love this, a heartfelt and beautiful write.
Beautiful tribute. She sounds like a grandmother everyone should know!
What a wonderful tribute to a beautiful Grandma. This is beautiful Jennifer! :-)
This one wins the blue ribbon!
I loved this poem - you captured perfectly the allure of "mellowed laughter" of my / your grandparents. A great write here.
She sounds like a grand woman, wonderful 'life' teacher and, this is a lovely, very touching and vivid tribute to her.
Jennifer, oh gosh. What a beautiful, beautiful story.
You have made a wonderful tribute to your Grandmother.
Very touching... love the peach moustache.
Jennifer, what a poignant poem. I hear you and the yearning to be able to relive those times again. The second last stanza breaks my heart
This is so lovely, so heartfelt, so poignant. She was a treasure. And I bet she looks down on you and gets "tickled" all the time.
p.s. my mom always says "tickled pink," now it will make me smile even more.
This was wonderful and personal share ~ Love the peaches and her not shielding you from the horrors of nature but explaining it the best she can ~ Wonderful tribute to a great lady ~
This is just lovely and so personal and heartfelt. A beautiful tribute and it's uplifting to hear the details, the kinds of things we can take for granted if we're not careful, yet they are the heart and soul of life...
Totally relate. My gram died nearly two years ago at age 99. In the most quiet and most challenging moments of my life, I miss her most.
oh she sounds like she was a wonderful woman...not shielding you from the pain but trying to explain it..i think that also speaks of much inner strength...
You made me weep ... such a lovely tribute
Beautifully evoked; you bring her back to life here, real and vivid.
Whoof--that was a full on goosebumps, thump to my heart. What a perfect scene you painted, and loved the mustache reference--that's exactly what peach fuzz feels like!! So lucky to have had such a wonderful grandma, you made me think of mine :-)
What a beautiful characterization of one you loved! Details to grasp hold of, so I feel I almost know her too, see her sitting in the kitchen slicing a wild peach, you sleepy-eyed and wrapped in the age-worn quilt. And the humor and truth and harshness of life add truth and depth. Beautifully, beautifully written!
May I just shed a tear with you..more of gratefulness than sadness.
Lovely tribute to your friend, grandmother...certain lessons learned from someone who made a deep impact.with wistful overtone ;)
This is such a beautiful and poignant poem, Jennifer. A wonderful tribute to your Granny.
Love,
Swarnali and Arpita
Dreams n Drama
WoW. Each image from tuck-in to visiting the stone had me in its grip. Your narrative is perfection in form; its two characters so alive in action that I can imagine their eyes twinkling at each other. They were both so lucky to have each other. I am moved, and I am remembering my own trusted friends.
how beautiful your words of tribute and remembering....Losing a loved one sucks...
I believe she is :)
...so true...thanks ayala!
She was special...thank you Barbara!
Carrie, thank you very much :)
What a great compliment, thanks Timoteo!
Thanks Buddah...love that laughter...
She was...thank you very much Bren.
Thanks Jody, so much.
Thank you viv.
prickly...thanks Laurie :)
Yeah...sweet times, they live on in memory though, eh?
That's a great thought mrs! She was a treasure indeed. Glad to prompt a smile :-)
Thank you very much Grace.
You're right about taking things like these for granted...too often I have. It is the little things, like you say, that are the heart and soul of life, then later you realize they are not so little.
Wow! What a strong lady to have lived so long. Know what you mean...
You nailed it Claudia--inner strength--that sums her up perfectly.
I'm honored that you felt it Polly.
Thanks Rosemary, like painting a picture this poem does bring her back for me.
Thanks much Sara--glad to bring good thoughts :)
Thank you Cindee--your words mean so much.
Absolutely!
Thank you very much katy!
Thanks Swarnali--for your visit and your kind words.
Wow, thank you so much Susan, your words are high compliments indeed.
Agreed. Thanks so much joanne.
Grandmothers are so special ... thank you for this personal share and the memories/lessons she shared with you. Lovely tribute ~~
They are special, right...thanks for reading becca, and for commenting.
Being a Grandma, I was thinking that I hope someday my grandchildren will have such wonderful memories of me. I do enjoy cooking with the older ones and teaching them will hopefully be a memory they always have.
Your grandmother must have been a very special person to invoke such great memories from you. She sounds amazing and in not shielding you from realities in life is possibly harder than it would have been to had told you a made up story.
Thank you ever so much for sharing this beautiful story with us for this weeks Theme Thursday. Hope you are having a blessed weekend.
God bless.
Touching tribute. . .and I especially liked the peach imagery.
What a lovely story in this poem, reminds so much of my Grandmother.
You are making lovely memories with them...I think cooking together is such a great way to bond. They will have those experiences with you to draw from in memory and that's priceless. Thanks for an excellent prompt that got me rolling on this--I was going to go another way initially but was flooded with these memories. God Bless you as well, and thank you so much for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful comment!
Thanks much Meri--glad you enjoyed :-)
Lisa- another thing I think we have in common...very much appreciate your thoughts.
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