Grandma

beer battered eyes

light blue liquid on soft pink satin

always

reached into gruesome moral explosions

and retrieved tiny shrapnel trinkets

to string on fishing line

and make necklaces

for her children

 

can’t remember where I left that picture

the one of her with the old shotgun

and the Bible

 

she was the loveliest of all

venomous creatures

 

I once saw a rattlesnake curled up on an old Native American

altar made of bones and furs in the desert

 

her hands were stained brown from picking tobacco

but her hugs were always angelic

 

some angels are not all white wings and sparkles

some are more burning swords and shark teeth

 

I miss her Georgia buckshot slurred curses

served with hot buttermilk biscuits

and stirred with an unconquerable

warrior spirit

 

I remember

in the Culture Garden on Palm Beach island

that African statue called Motherhood

of the beastly beauty hunched over her child

posture of a silverback

face of a panther

eyes like two gargoyles

daring anything

to challenge

their love

 

she was that kind of love

I’ll always miss her

Author's Note

when I was 8 I watched my grandma beat down 3 huge drunk men on her front lawn who had chased my brother to her house from the park. I miss her.

Reviews

[Kerry O'Connor]

she was the loveliest of all
venomous creatures

I love the way you used contrasting images to bring the character of this warrior woman to life. Throughout your entire description, the love and admiration shines brightly.

[Crowley]

Sounds like a hell of a lady.....I hate the fact that it takes growing up to realize just how special they are...I miss mine for sure. You sho do write it down brotha.....

[What happened to simple..]

you out did yourself here, the note at the end just put it in to place ever so perfectly.

[NoneOfYourBusiness akaK..]

the brightest burning angels never showcase their brilliance in feathers~ but in how they move the world around them and how they move through the world~ you have given her resplendance of unequal beauty and strength here within your poem~

[Robin]

"some angels are not all white wings and sparkles
some are more burning swords and shark teeth"

you got it .. always great writing here