My Grandmother On Her Deathbed
#3 of Poetry
A poem I wrote for mother's day. I lost my grandmother a couple of months ago and I really wanted to capture what it was like when she passed away. It was a solemn time but it was also filled with joy and laughter. That's just how our family is. We had funny moments in the hospital and we were all laughing when she stopped breathing and we like to think that was the last sound she heard. I'll miss her terribly but I couldn't imagine a more beautiful way to go.
My Grandmother On Her Deathbed
Tells me that my pants are unzipped.
That my sister's kelly green nail color is ugly
With emphasis on the 'u'.
Stole my brother's sunglasses and wore them,
throwing up fingers so swollen that she could not wear her wedding ring.
Ate an entire Cadbury Creme Egg in ten seconds.
On the day that our pastor visited and prayed
She beckoned me to her side, taking my hand and saying,
"Don't embarrass me in front of the lord."
It was the last thing she said to me,
because I wasn't there when she said she wasn't afraid anymore.
We all laughed at these stories together as she took her final breaths
without us even knowing,
lost in the laughter that became the last thing she heard.
Carotid artery finished drumming the tune of Nan,
an 83-year drum solo.
The room fell silent as the picture she talked about for days
of my uncle with long hair appeared on the digital picture frame.