Madison Square was
Different back then,
Your grandmother said.
She spoke of long dark
Dresses and the heat
And hats and always
Having to be so
Aware of men’s stare.
She and her friend walked
Along by the horse
Drawn cabs, wondering
Where and how far you
Could go for the price
Of a big smile. You
Remember her
Sitting in her old
Rocking chair, her long
Grey hair, pinned up, a
Cigarette between
Lips gazing at you
Through the smoke, her eyes
Fading to a light
Blue, gazing at you,
Wondering if you
Was the kind of girl
She once was. Never
Told my parents where
We went, Grandmother
Confided; it’d
Give them grey hairs and
Haemorrhoids if they
Knew. She chuckled; coughed
And spat phlegm. That’s the
Difference, she said,
Between your mother
And me and me and
Them. Being just that
Little bit over
The edge, daring the
Reach beyond others.
You recall her last
Days, laid up in bed,
Staring out the large
Window, at the blue
Of sky, waiting for
Death to come for her,
The slow wait to die.
Aug 11, 2014
Aug 11, 2014 at 4:40 AM UTC
Madison Square was
Different back then,
Your grandmother said.
She spoke of long dark
Dresses and the heat
And hats and always
Having to be so
Aware of men’s stare.
She and her friend walked
Along by the horse
Drawn cabs, wondering
Where and how far you
Could go for the price
Of a big smile. You
Remember her
Sitting in her old
Rocking chair, her long
Grey hair, pinned up, a
Cigarette between
Lips gazing at you
Through the smoke, her eyes
Fading to a light
Blue, gazing at you,
Wondering if you
Was the kind of girl
She once was. Never
Told my parents where
We went, Grandmother
Confided; it’d
Give them grey hairs and
Haemorrhoids if they
Knew. She chuckled; coughed
And spat phlegm. That’s the
Difference, she said,
Between your mother
And me and me and
Them. Being just that
Little bit over
The edge, daring the
Reach beyond others.
You recall her last
Days, laid up in bed,
Staring out the large
Window, at the blue
Of sky, waiting for
Death to come for her,
The slow wait to die.
2010 POEM.
