We walked together down the road
Well, only you were walking
I was pretending to be a toad
Skipping along beside you.
You said you liked my smile
And you asked me to never stop.
You liked to wander in the wood
Hunt for fish and deer and stories
The wild was your neighborhood
And the animals, your buddies.
Your hobby was telling stories,
And I hung on every word
Until I’d heard them many times
And then I told them back to you.
About the bird that pooped on your head
How you tricked the teachers in school,
The people that you witnessed to,
And the horse that didn’t like you.
On Holidays and picnics,
Your giant video recorder
Was always on your shoulder;
You told me I’d be on TV someday
And you said you liked my smile.
Although your hands shook bad,
You drew a silly picture
In every birthday card.
At dinner, your puns were corny,
And didn’t always make sense,
But you always laughed the hardest,
And that made me laugh, too.
And whenever you came over,
You would sit down on the couch,
And let me play the piano
All the songs that I’d made up
For as many tedious hours as I liked.
You clapped for every piece,
And snored through a couple,
And prayed through many more.
I’ve been so busy lately,
I haven’t seen you much
But when I finally saw you,
You’d really changed so much.
The room was dimly lit and warm
And your red chair looked very soft
But you never stood up to hug me,
Because you can barely move at all.
Throughout our conversation,
You never cracked a joke;
When you spoke, it was a whisper
Though you used all your strength.
And when I said goodbye to you,
You took my hand in your own
I wondered if you recognized me
Or if I was a stranger to you now.
But as you said, “God bless you,”
With eyes more gentle than before,
You said you liked my smile.
And that was enough for me.
(c) Copyright April 24, 2014 - Curious Cognitive Content