Good-Bye

In a tiny green house, through the door she appeared With a new little brother holding so dear In the house down the street, walls not nearly complete Off the front porch into the snow with bare feet Of walking the trail near garden and wood We passed to a lane where the Ben Franklin stood To Papa's Coney Island, behind an apron she served Hopeful of coins for the carnival we yearned Off to the neighbors, we all filed with dread We knew she would gab until the full moon was dead Trapped on a sofa, no rescue in sight We started to sing to highlight our plight "I wanna go home," the words rang out clear Finally relenting we would all disappear Of warm summer days, in a yard out back Where purple violets in a small cup we did stack Of towels warmed on the furnace each day Wrapped our small feet to get us back in the fray Lightning shows, through the big window watched we in awe Arrayed across the old sofa, past our bedtime we saw Parading from our room, we entertain Our antics your delight did sustain Together we grew, then went our own way Returning to find very little did change It's hard to remember those years in between Now here we stand, our memories so keen Of warm summer days and a cold winters blow Where mom's loving touch is what we all know Good-bye Ma I found out last yesterday that my mother will be passing very soon. I wrote this to read at her funeral.