My Precious Mother

In the Pub ~~ All About 'Bother'

she murmured it more times

than I can possibly count

‘I don’t want to be a bother’

my reply always the same

‘mama, you could never be a bother’

and for five precious years

she wasn’t .. amidst confusion, tears

anxiety, fear .. never a bother

Missing Them, Still

1948 Ralph & Ona

no need for clocks

no need for watches

death comes 

on its own time frame

like a thief in the night

stealing your most 

precious possessions

Hands

i gaze upon my mother's hands

see my own reflected there

my daughter's, granddaughter's

grandmother's as well

hands folded in her lap, nails polished red 

diamonds sparkling on her fingers

no awareness of how beautiful she is

hands that are capable, strong, yet vulnerable ~~

memories of holding hands

will linger in my mind

her warm embrace, her tender kiss

the I love you we left behind

Journey

The Journey to Dinner

I watch them as their 

day comes to a close
The continuous shuffling 

of bodies and souls

Some of them walking unaided

Some of them walking assisted

Some of them being pushed in chairs

The familiar journey to a room

Most of them won't recall from day to day

I wonder, will he or she be there 

next time I visit
 I've grown so fond of them all