My Grandfather's Hands
My Gramps' hands
They held me tight
The day that I was born
I'm told he sang a lullaby and drew me close and warm
Picking fruit in the back garden
And bike rides 'round the block
His hands would clean a scrape or cut
Soothe when I took a knock
When my plaster cast came off
His hands stretched out to steady
He said, "Move forward slowly girl, step when you are ready..."
Gramps' hands provided
A light mid-afternoon snack:
Half a dumpie guava juice
And Flanagans crisps - green pack
To keep school extra-mural dates
He'd help pick up the pace
He'd call me Desperado and carry my violin case
Gramps' hands would give me
A sturdy birthday shake
He'd say, "Another year older...Now behave for heaven's sake!"
And as I walked the aisle that day
And his hand just brushed past mine
I had no doubt of his love for us
As sure as the sun would shine!
And when he took our baby girl
So gently in his care
My heart was filled with joy and thanks
That in her life he'd share
And then last week my Gramps' hands suddenly went still
They were placed across his chest
Pale, with a chill
Of this I'm sure, his hands, I know
Won't always be this way
Those gentle hands - so tan and strong
Will live again one day.
Since the last post we've had two more weeks of Papu visiting with us and then one very long week since we dropped him off at the airport. In mid-July we went to Burlington Airport en route to my final exam, and recreated what should have been his triumphant arrivals lounge experience in June. PJ took him to Lake Champlain and surrounds while they waited for me to complete the test and then treated me to "the test is done" lunch. We spent a rare hot afternoon at Silver Lake Park swimming with friends, we shopped 'til we dropped at The Vermont Spot, we were able to see the clean-up operations happening in flood-stricken Montpelier and even managed a quick stop at the Vermont State House. We visited the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe and enjoyed Ben and Jerry's ice cream at their factory. We took a drive around my old VTC campus in Randolph and Gifford Medical Center where I practiced this past year. We drove through the Dartmouth campus and the Boat House on the Conn
Beautiful! You know just how to put the words together.
ReplyDeleteAh man, I wanted to put your poem on my blog! :)
ReplyDeleteThis truly represents 'la vida de Sakkie comos los vemos'. Thanks Ash. There are tears: but they're smiley tears because this is gramps as we remember him. Thanks.
ReplyDelete