'Grandmother'
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She was a JCPenny jewelry clerk
Always off on Sundays but never went to church
See, she believed that God and religion
kept her from dances and chewing gum
Ice cream and popcorn with butter
And the swimming pool
Nostalgia and a back porch
A photo album and an LP
Buttery skin with a rich lotion
A Gucci perfume
Infectious laughter
And wine
Look me in the eye-
See your daughter’s face reflected there.
Look me in the eye-
And tell me, if you dare.
Tell me you think I’m disgusting.
No matter how age the complexion
To me, a grandmother is perfection
And regardless of how outdated or current her fashion
A grandmother is always full of love and compassion
-and yet i am still breating
feeling
she is gone but i still feel her spirit surrounding me
the colors of her country seep through her
and onto me
this is the dream of an immigrant
this is progress.
Imagine
Moving to a strange country.
You're so young and get married so abruptly,
To a man you were forced to love, and you're going to have a baby.
You move from Italy to Queens, where the people are pretty shady
If there was a river
Where I could drown my sorrows fine
If there was mountain
Whose shield would never shine
A mountaintop of treasures
As she protects it all
Standing tall
As Valor
If there was a river
Where I could drown my sorrows fine
If there was mountain
Whose shield would never shine
A mountaintop of treasures
As she protects it all
Standing tall
As Valor
Her name was Blue.
Not for originality, her parents were too clever for that.
It’s rather for the reflection of her eyes,
displaying our earth, our universe, our entangled minds.
Because the shift dress remained to be a hassle, I wore capris instead.
How else was I to ride my bike if my dress was too tight?!
This was a story I would always hold in my heart dearly about my grandmother.
Match strikes box
Friction becomes flame
Slowly, steadily
The hand stretches to reach its goal.
1920s, New York
A young woman,
Dear Grandmother,
You were supposed to protect me and wipe my tears when I cried.
Yes, you did this but all as you lied.
You taught me not to trust:
If this were happening right now I would probably be crying. Mainly because you're in heaven right now. I didn't have the luxury to say goodbye or even meet you grandma. We were limited to talks on the phone and stories from my older siblings.
Dear Grandmother,
The last time I remember seeing you happy,
was when I was too young.
One hand a shopping cart,
the other hand reaching towards us,
welcoming our arrival.
Dear my beloved grandmother, You were the most influential person in my life,However you are no longer with us. It was a blessing in disguise the gift you left me. You led me to find my true self. I spent countless hours at the nursing home, S
Dear Grandma,
Thank you for being the only person really there for me,
Thank you for giving me advice at a young age. Despite not understanding it then, the words you spoke are still fresh in my mind.
In the stories,
Funerals are on dark and dreary days,
Full of falling rain and fraught with cold.
Or,
They’re too pretty,
