Sunday 7 August 2011

Her hands


i stare at her gnarled
hands, life etched on
each wrinkle, vein 


wipe tears
from child's eyes


soothe fears
& doubts of troubled lad


caress shyly
lover's fair face 


tie family strings
through sorrows, heartbreaks


crochet linens, sweaters 
spreading warmth and joy   


wield axe
demanding firmness


hold cup to toast
success, big & small steps 


bury an erring husband
loving him till the end 


offer peace, gladness
blessings overflowed simple nest


play with angels on her lap,
longing for eternal peace


now, clasped in prayer's cross
waits for death's dance 
finally




Author's Note:  This post is for Poetry Jam:  Songs for the Deadhosted by Chris of Enchanted Oak.  The prompt is to write about death of a beloved, in my case, my grandmother who died years ago at a very ripe age of 93.   In her 60+ , she wanted to die already; not wanting to follow the footsteps of her mother, who also died in her 90+.   


During her lifetime, my grandmother made lovely things with her skilled hands.  As my wedding gift, she gave me a hand-made quilt for my bed.   Her crochet and embroidery pieces continue to remind us of her love.    

15 comments:

  1. this is beautiful...visions of my mum danced as I read each line...

    hugs

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  2. Before I read David's comment ... I knew I would tell you this is beautiful.

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  3. I have to repeat,this is indeed beautiful!!
    The pic is lovely too

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  4. this is lovely...something so evocative about hands...used for so much...to give and take life..you chose somewonderful scenes to highlight as well...

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  5. I loved the poem and also your description of your grandmother "not wanting to follow the footsteps of her mother" which ties in perfectly with -
    ... "now, clasped in prayer's cross /waits for death's dance finally"
    a powerful ending.

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  6. P.s.
    Love the photo! Did you take it?

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  7. Thanks so much for your wonderful comments.

    Debbie - sorry, the picture is not mine. But when I saw it, I thought it was perfect for this post.

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  8. the picture is brilliant ~ thankyou for sharing abut your dear grandmother ~ a fine age and one she didn't want to live to ~ she shared such a lot with her crafts and with you ~ devoted to an errant husband ~ a wonderfully strong lady ~ and a beautiful tributary write ~ Lib

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  9. Wonderful tribute and have to say the photo is really neat, love it.

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  10. So beautiful and touching!
    This touched my heart!

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  11. Very touching post. And what a nice present your grandmother gave you.

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  12. This poem is a good example of what love can see in a pair of aged hands.

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  13. awesome creation..
    it is so beautiful n serene n pure.
    Super like !!!

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  14. This immediately brought to mind my grandmother's hands. Beautiful.

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  15. I like this one very much! Thanks for your visits to my blog, and your kind words.

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