Where the Heart Resides

Like open arms These broken gates reach out to me And lead me to the lonely house That overlooks the sea Her door once proud and stately Now splintered hangs in shame As she realizes no longer can she Keep out the wind and rain I look into her beautiful Sad and haunted eyes These windows to her soul Where alone she waits to die Her rooms I see before me Stripped naked raped and bleeding And somewhere from within them I hear her softly pleading She beckons me to enter I cross her threshold timidly And suddenly an old familiar feeling Comes washing over me The floorboards squeak beneath me As I move slowly down the hall Tip-toeing through the paper roses All withered on her walls I step into her parlor With tears falling from my eyes As precious memories carry me To the place my heart resides I see her in her former splendor Dressed in satin and old lace Crystal chandeliers reflect the light And caress her lovely face French doors open to the fields Where once I used to play Make believe in lands of dreams On sunny summer days Silky curled beside the hearth Purring softly as she sleeps I caress her so tenderly As my heart falls at her feet The air is filled with music As grandma strokes the keys The aunts and uncles all join in And sing in harmony We take our places at the table Laid out in fine bone china We bow our heads and thank the Lord For all the ties that bind us Grandpa carves the giant turkey Grandma brings the platters We fill our plates with food and mirth And an endless stream of chatter And when the moon hangs overhead In a soft and velvet sky One by one we take our leave With hugs kisses and goodbye’s. I love you Grandma I love you Grandpa Rings into the night And once again in my world Everything is right I close the door behind me I say my last farewell As I hear her take her final breath In the trill of a whippoorwill ~~~~~ Author: Elaine George My first entry on Poetrysoup - Feb. 2, 2006