To my gran who I have just seen Who is old and can't remember things Who is kind and asks me the same questions Who lies in bed and drinks tea Who has bought up four children And has seven grand children And seven great grandchildren It was so lovely to see you.
We had a good chat; You asked me where I was going next about a hundred times And I loved answering every time. Australia. We drank tea And looked at photos. I bought you a soft toy And you liked him "A sweet little fellow" You said "It's a shame He doesn't squeak" You said Squeezing him. And you put him on your lap While I showed you photos Of your great grandson And we laughed About things.
When I left we caught eyes I said "bless you" And bowed to you. You said "take care of yourself" And I saw you And you saw me And that is where we met. In the eyes And in the soul. That is what I came for What I hoped for That moment When we met. I took your hand And said "it's been lovely to see you" And then I left Wanting To say more Wanting to say thank you for everything Thank you for knitting me the duck When I was a boy Thank you for being a pillar In my life That even though I havn't seen you much You've been so important To me. Just knowing you were there Family. Has helped me To be strong. I wanted to stay and say goodbye JustΒ in case... But I didn't I got you a blanket Because you looked cold And I left Because Stuart was waiting In the car park And I had a train to catch. And I was worried it might disorientated you Because we had had a lovely time together. And I wanted to leave you happy.
I looked back Through the ward window D8 And you looked so alone
And now I'm on the train To Liverpool street And I miss you I think of you Lying there And I want to sit by you And show you more pictures And get you tea And make sure your warm And look after you Because your so frail And vulnerable And I feel sad Because Well...grief! The tragedy of life, That we must part From everyone. But I'm happy too Because My bones feel full And my heart feels Warm And I feel my right To stand up on this earth. With a warm heart And wet cheeks
I wrote this some time ago when I visited my Gran in hospital but I wanted to post it today as I just heard that she died this morning. If anyone has any spare prayers, please remember my Gran today, her name was Eileen. The poem is a sequel to another poem "Nannie D8 31" I wrote on the way to see her the same day.