‘MY COLLECTION OF WORDS’
I have been dabbling with poetry since about 1965 and over the years friends have been telling me that I should publish what I have.
Once I decided to publish my poems for Gracie’s book, ‘Grandma’s Stories’, I didn’t realize that I had written so many poems.
The poems in this book and the second collection are mostly poems that I wrote for friends, or those that hold a special place in my heart.
The picture on the cover of this book, I took somewhere in Arizona.
There are sixty poems in ‘My Collection Of Words’ and this is the first poem.
‘In Memory Of My Mom’
She sits alone in easy chair, fingers stroking soft gray hair
Gazing forward, straight ahead, thankful she is out of bed
Loneliness and failing health, always struggled, never wealth
Raised her kids the best she could, did everything she thought she should
And when Dad left, she grieved and cried, and questioned God just why he died
She sits alone in her wheelchair, still she strokes her thin gray hair
Gazing forward, into space, and empty look is on her face
She worries over failing sight, of facing terrors in the night
Diabetes takes both her legs, for mercy to her God she begs
Always tried to do her best, and questions God, just why the test
Now she can’t sit in her chair, I am the one who strokes her hair
Her eyes wide open, she cannot see, even when she looks at me
She worries over leaving now, thru tears I try to tell her how
The stroke has taken her away, but I’ll see her again someday
The angels came, she grabbed a wing, forever in heavens choir she’ll sing
Now she sits in heavens care, angels stroke her soft gray hair
Gazing forward, seeing all, glad she answered heavens call
Now perfect vision and perfect health, never needy with heavens wealth
Watching us down her below, whispers to us, so we’ll know
She always loved us, always will, tho gone in body, she’s with us still
In Memory of my Mother
April 18, 1918 – July 23, 1998