When my grandpa died, soon after my grandma,
I drove up north with my husband,
Thinking about an ice cream shop
Where children sat and ordered real sodas
That melted sticky sickly-sweet with ice cream.
Of antique shops with names like Carousel,
Matched by charming interiors.
Or the flea market
Only open on weekends,
But I had all the days in the world it seemed,
Once the restless hot hours of summers were here.
As I walked by the cows
Soft and staring in their pastures,
As I blessed every wildflower and weed
While listening to the gospel, as told by singing insects,
I knew it would end, but we lie to ourselves in a thousand ways.
The winding road to the farm is a path no longer open,
And my grandparents are together, but away from my touch,
The days of drawing thoughts on loose printer paper
While they went about their day in the next room are over.
The games of Yahtzee have been tallied,
And I couldn’t tell you who won, in the end.
The antique stores I knew are ten years gone,
But maybe things were drifting away long before,
And no one wanted to talk about the end of summer when
The sun is still in your eyes and the days hang warm and lazy
Over the coming sunsets.
But I remember,
The storms rolling free and fierce over that wide swath of sky,
The comforting smell of bar soap on flannel shirts,
The kisses on my cheek that left a lipstick mark,
That breakfast is the best meal of the day, and therefore most important,
When it’s made by those who love you completely.
– Sara Myriad
8 Comments
Andy B
There’s much to love in this. There’s much love in this. Very well done, my friend.
Mandi
Such a good piece!
Emily San
I love this ?
Monica Cooper
Very touching, such a beautiful picture painted in my head with this writing. ?
Michelle
Thank you for sharing this. It brought me to tears.
Michael Badger
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing
.
Cheryl spotts
Sara- you have written so eloquently about your childhood , as well as mine! Your Mom and I grew up together- my family’s farm is the connecting farm to the west. Many hours spend on that gravel road and in those pastures! I drove out there a couple of weeks ago to relive some memories❤ your grandparents were a huge part of my life! You are truly blest! Carry on those memories in their memory and make your special memories- which will make a beautiful poem someday too!!
Mom
As I read this, oh, probably for the 20th time, there were tears streaming down my face, without even realizing it till they landed in droplets on my clothing. Love you so much.