Thursday, December 9, 2010

In Memory of Grandma Coy

written on March 15th, 1999

I was watching television
But I vaguely remember what was on
Grandma Coy came in
And sat down on the day bed

I had my camera with me
And decided to take some pictures of her
She didn't mine or cared
But was distracted by the flashlight

I shut off the flash
She mumbled the name "Mike"
And asked where he was
I answered,"Mike's at work."

She snapped back,
"He better get his ass back home!"
I was startled
By her stamina

She sat quietly again
I took a couple more pictures
She looked at me with blankness
I looked at her with gratitude

A sailor's wife
At a young age
A Richmond shipyard welder
During WWII
A waitress
For 30 something years
Lots of heartache
Cussed like a sailor
It doesn't bother her

Memory lost like waves
Wiping off footprints to a clean slate
Remembering one fragment of time

Ring of a rose
A token from the past
Her own image remains her mother's

Droplets of blood
A cast shadow of a lost child
Her hands remain her son's

Pieces of puzzle
A room of rummages
Her belongings remain covered in dust

Ten folds of pain
An abuse of power
Her body remains in battered metal sheets

A message from Kimberly
About Grandma's death
An empty tape recording
Ended with silence

Memories lost or still remains
A pause
A stop
Unfinished ...

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