The Angel Lady

A Christmas story written in verse about a woman who takes up the practice of carving christmas ornaments to ease the grief of her husband passing.

The Angel Lady

 

(By Bob Lazzar; Copyright 2009)

 

She was called the Angel Lady for the ornaments she made,

She carved them out of scraps of fir and pine.

They echoed a belief she held from which she never strayed,

That angels are around us all the time.

 

She first discovered carving with a heart consumed by grief,

The year her loving husband passed away,

She found its gentle rhythms brought her comfort and relief

And restored a sense of purpose to her day.

 

And so when Christmas came with all the memories it brings

And clouds of sadness fell upon her heart,

She carved her husband’s likeness with a pair of angel wings

And magically the clouds began to part.

 

She fixed it with a piece of string and hung it on the tree,

He always loved the smell of fresh-cut fir,

And when she sat beside the tree to carve a bit or read

She felt his loving presence close to her.

 

When others saw the ornament, her neighbors and her friends,

They marveled at how lifelike it appeared,

They begged her to consider carving ornaments for them

Of loved ones they had lost throughout the years.

 

 And so her mission started and her reputation grew,

As orders came from cities far and wide,

And each contained a story and a photograph or two,

Of someone’s special loved one who had died.

 

The children were the hardest and it often made her weep,

To carve their youthful features in the pine,

But late at night a voice would reassure her in her sleep

That angels were around them all the time.

 

And one day she received a special letter in her box

From a boy whose family dog had passed away,

She thought about it briefly and then asked herself “why not?”

And she started carving pets that very day.

 

For twenty years she worked until her hands were old and tired,

The feeling in her fingers nearly gone,

But her belief in angels always made her feel inspired

And helped her find the strength to carry on.

 

And then one Christmas Day a neighbor found her in her chair,

Her heart no longer sounding its commands,

With shavings all around her, in her clothing and her hair,

Her carving blade still nestled in her hands.

 

And when the medics came and slowly wheeled her to the door

Her grieving friends were too distraught to see,

The photograph that rested right beside her on the floor

Or the newest little angel on the tree.

 

It hung there by her husband’s like two birds upon a limb,

A woman carved in wood still wet with stain,

Her head was turned and she was smiling lovingly at him,

And he was looking back at her the same.

 

Like all the other angels she had carved throughout her days,

The image was so real it chilled the spine,

And engraved upon the bottom was this very simple phrase,

“Angels are around us all the time.”

 

~The End~

Author's Note

I'd like to eventually pursue publishing this poem, fully illustrated, as a holiday story and am interested in any and all feedback with this goal in mind.

Reviews

[Yellow Butterfly]

This was so beautiful to read.... lovely flow and rhyming scheme throughout keeping me hooked as your story unfolded throughout this wonderful poem. A story of this intriguing 'Angel Lady's quest to keep the spirit of her loved one and the spirits of others alive only to become bequeathed leaving a carving of her very self by the side of her one and only.

I believe..... "Angels are around us all the time" too.....

Excellent poem

[Melody Telleria]

I think its definitely something that would thrive during Holiday times. I love it. Its very touching and full of wonderful imagery. Its endearing and we all want to know that angels are around us.

[zainul]

This is a wonderful piece.
You have vividly depicted the angel like pious woman.
I can still see the works of the dedicated lady with her tools and creations.
Added to my reading list and favorites.
100/100

[Bob Lazzar]

Thank you for taking the time to read and offer your thoughts on this poem. I modeled the woman after my grandmother for it was her that inspired this piece. She is now at peace with her beloved angels.