Grandma Blessed Me

Grandma Blessed Me

I remember Grandma working in the kitchen

Made fried chicken for Sunday meals

Mom hated fowl so this was a treat

So were mashed potatoes not from a box

I remember Grandma in her garden

Picking fruit to send home with us

Grown by her own hands

A miracle in my ignorant urban mind

I remember Grandma telling stories

About her immigrant Polish grandparents

Her superstitions and her magic

Her dreams that seemed to always come true

I remember watching Grandma drop nickels

Into random slot machines while we crossed the Sands' lobby

“You bring me luck,” she whispered

As she gathered her winnings

I remember the thrill of Grandma’s playbills

Musicals and dramas, operas and ballets

West coast productions in a bygone age

When mink stolls were glamorous

I remember hearing of Grandma’s travels

Boat cruises from Mexico to Alaska, From Japan to Hawaii

Later to Boomtown and Carson City when they retired north

My ideal gypsy soul personified

I remember Grandma predict weather

Through the patterns of passing birds

Spent summers in the Sierras learning Nature’s language

Grandma seemed to understand

I remember Grandma behind the counter

In her stationary store in Norwalk

Worked hard for her money

Enjoyed the high fashion of her age

I remember Grandma teaching me to sew

While Lawrence Welk irritated my rock and roll soul

Heard opera on her radio station when she drove

Music still stirs my soul

I remember watching Grandma

Live with Grandpa’s criticisms

Nothing ever seemed right for him

Especially near the end

Married 53 years after meeting at a dance hall

Two weeks prior to their wedding

For better or worse ‘til death did they part

I learned how to forgive from watching her with him

She died pushing a vacuum while Grandpa napped

Grandma's home was her castle

I felt her presence there, her love,

Even after they took her body away

Grandpa collected her hidden winnings

The scavenger hunt went on for days

Two Grand when gathered together in one place

Grandma always loved her games