Best Grandad Poems
I, to the pasture's green could run,
and fly a kite beside the sun,
but choose, I do, to linger still,
among the dirt, what is my frill?
Low, be it may, to sink my feet,
into the slimy, pungent peat,
but with my grandad by my side,
would daily stroll along the tide.
To rescue guls stuck in the mud,
or gather sticks for firewood.
As luck would have it on one day,
the tides did change and under clay,
a viking boat from days gone by,
with shields of pine and rivots ply.
Unmasked itself from muddy deep,
a secret for ourselves to keep.
Each day, we returned, with a spade,
with picnic full of marmalade,
and feasted there beside the boat,
in our wool hat and winter coat.
Charmed not only by history,
but by such untold mystery.
Then on one fateful dreaded night,
the waves were high, the wind a fright,
storms blasted down upon the shore,
Until the longboat was no more.
My granddad early on that day,
forgot to mention or to say,
he felt unwell, or rather ill,
but trudgeoned on, a soldier still.
But in the haste of wind and gale,
I didn't realise he was pale.
By the morning when I awoke,
to no smell of cigarette smoke.
I went downstairs and saw the fridge,
his oatmeal there, still on the ridge.
Maybe a lie in, thought my head,
I ran upstairs to grandad's bed.
There asleep, I thought at a glance,
I nudged him, but he kept his stance.
He was gone, how? I hugged him tight,
and ran for the river at twilight.
So here I am beside the tide,
Waiting for the mud to reside.
But if it does, what shall I do?
For treasure is nought, without you.
My grandad was there when I was little;
My grandad would always make me giggle;
Telling jokes, stories and tales, my grandads love has never failed.
In Alder Street or at the flat, my grandads love, it was just that.
The market stall, to buy and sell. I'd always love the tales he'd tell.
From cheeky children, to hagglers galore, you mess with him, he'd show you the door.
On Christmas Day, when I was small, he loved the games, he'd play them all.
Pass the parcel he loved the best, even when he wore a dress.
He loved my brother, yes that's you.
When he came to visit, he'd visit you too.
From birthdays and Christmas, even just passing. I loved the sound of him just gassing.
He loved his whiskey, I would say cheers.
But I'm pretty sure he owes dad a few beers.
He loved his beard, perhaps too much.
He'd always stop mum from getting his cut.
He loved his children, his grandchildren too.
As for nanna, how could I forget you.
Well well nanna, what can I say.
You are the one with whom he lay.
After years of marriage, I know it's true, that grandad was, the one for you.
I've finished grandad, I've nothing more to say.
Except that I hope, you're proud of us today.
All avenues are amphibious arenas
Bubbles belch-burst, bitter Bacchanalian bombs
Clouds' cast-iron crescendo creates cold cantankerous caricatures
Drenched - darkness descending, daylight dying, disappearing duskwards
Every eye echoing every eye, emotional evidence enveloped
Fake furs, fashionable fools, firm friends fleeing flowing firmament
Garrulous girls giggle, grizzled gangsters get going, gravity gyroscopes - ginormous gloomy grey gusts!
Hapless Harry's hairpiece hovers, hesitates, hovers higher, hurriedly he hopes he has his hat,
Intimate iciness infiltrates irrepressibly inside,
Jaunty Jack's japery, just jaded January jokes - jigsaw justice
Kilted killers, kleptomaniac kangaroos...
Lame laughs, low lamplight, laser liquid lines lash lustfully
Mercurial miasma mercilessly merging, mournful men mutter miserably
Nobody needs niceties, navigating newspapers, nothing new now
Ordered out over oof owed, obstinately offering old objections
Pavement pool-puddles pose problems, precautions probable, prayers perhaps...
Quintessential questing queens querulously quarrel,
Rain rushes relentlessly, rudely, rapaciously
Sizzling, steaming, slip-sliding silhouettes, soaked saturnine suits seething
Terry the tiger-tamer, tastefully tattooed, taking time talking tactfully to trembling tramps
Undernourished underpass underclass, underwhelmed under useless ubiquitous umbrellas
Vulgar victors, vim-vigour-verve, voraciously vanquished, vanity virulently violated,
Waistless waifs, wasted wastrels, wrestle with wicked westerly winds
X-rayed, X-rated
Yesterday's youngsters yellowing, yawning, yearning
Zero zest. Zilch.
As I rush past the dastardly faces of those in pain,
I begin to ponder if it were possible to die here,
Surrounded by disease and loneliness the decrepit weep under those in control,
There daily dose of detrimental disruption,
The toxins streaming through their inadequate veins,
I slowly emerge from the empty corridor,
Hearing the woeful cries of those who are whining,
I have reached his bedside,
He looks up at me in such a way that cannot be compared,
I place my frigid hand upon his,
And I feel no warmth just the mulled sense of death in the air,
I glace at the tubes running from his weakened limbs,
His ever-growing fear racing through his diminished heart,
“Look after your mother, Noah”
A frail voice is heard,
I seek remorse from the dying man’s eyes,
How could I possible fill the leeway this man has kept between himself and my mother,
He is a constant trustee to my mother,
And a shoulder to bawl upon,
He himself knows he is approaching the inevitable,
His eyes wonder around one last time seeking a sense of fulfilment,
They soon lock on to my youthful eyes,
The diminishing hazel stained irises are slowly weltering away,
Along with my Gramps silver lined soul,
“Can you still have last words even though you are someone that isn’t well known?”
I chuckle with a teardrop flowing down my caressed cheek bone,
His hand lifts to my cherub like cheeks,
A final stroke of my now blessed face,
Only now do I notice the continuous beeps of machines is no more,
Just a flat line of sorrow.
Ten stops down the line
That's where the place is
The place I call mine.
Ten stops to go
'Till I get home and let today go.
An old lady sits opposite me
Smiles and says she's looking forward to a hot cup of tea.
This pleasure of her day makes the cold go away
The journey through the city and along the river bank
I ask if she has milk, sugar and biscuits to dunk?
She smiles and says she very particular with her brew.
One and half teaspoons and no more; or it's quite simply a poor do!
A teaspoon of milk; gold top full cream or another pour it will be!
I smile back and ask her why so precise with her tea?
She looks straight at me.
It's my link back to my past.
An old friend of youth I've never lost.
Made like my grandad used to do
Like buttered corners on his bread too.
Buttered all over the slice of bread
That's what my grandad always said.
So my cup of tea is part of me
With it I find I can relax quite deeply.
But it has to be just right.
Or I won't relax tonight.
Five stops down and she gets to her feet
This is my stop she says to me.
Goodnight she says as she smiles at me.
Goodnight I say back but before she turns from me I say:
'enjoy your cup of tea'.
Written on 7/27/2021
By Gail R DeBole
Updated on 8/17/2021
My granddad’s five-dollar bill in hand
Was blown by a breeze through farmland.
Our dog, King, “saved the Abe”
Fetched the bill straight away
To return it to my grandad’s hand.
(True Story that happened in the 1960s)
Skirting church on Puig de Missa,
then down the slope towards the river,
St Eularia's Rui, with path that winds on to the sea.
Past the smelly goats, where poking little
fingers get nibbled, and goat-dribbled
through the fence.
Billy stands high on outcast fridge and
watches babies butt their silly billy heads.
Then past the scraggy peacock, beneath the
orange tree, with oranges bunched and
bright-framed in darkest green among their leaves.
Then walk beside the cleft and craggy wall,
where lizards still unseen await more warming sun.
Past the preening cockerel and his shining
feather suit, strutting proud between each
grounded peck, while hammock lies still,
stretched between winter's barren trees,
waiting for that day with warmer breeze,
for May or June to come.
Then water's edge where winter's rain still
trickles over fall, and replenished pool below
is home to ducks, where ducks and cats are
fed, regardless of what town notice said.
Then past overhanging pomegranates,
three branched all in a row, the top one
pecked by tiny bird, and beneath those rosy
balls, a ball of baby mullet, soft sucking and
disturbing water's idle glassy flow.
Then lazy walk beyond the bridge where
river's wider mouth has more silty sandy
edge, where out towards horizon a mackerel
sky meets night-stilled sea, and sun's soft
and bright reflected rise holds promise of a
perfect day.
But in between, a secret quest, where
grandad wanders from the path all through
the damp and dewy grass, bright spotted
with Spring's yellow flowers.
And so the lemon tree is reached, and five fat
lemons quickly picked, avoiding branches
nasty pricks.
And grandad tucks them safe away.
For this is grandad's secret lemon tree,
with plenty left, and so for sure we'll come
again. We'll come again at least once more.
We'll come again another day.
he worked on a farm ,he was as pleasent as a man could be ,he was very muchd
cared and loved for by everyone and me ,i remember my grandad write back from
when he first sat me upon his knee .my first bike i learnt to ride he tought me.i
learnt quite alot from my grandad .he lived in the counry -side .when i seen the bats
a night iwould hide.dont be affraid he said to me they wont hurt u they hang upside
down come to the window and see .i wish my grandad was still here with me,ihave
other children iwish he could see .he called me dumplings when i had mumps as my
cheeks had swollen lumps.veg in his garden he would grow ,heres the
seed he say il show you how to sow .on a sunday he would pick the mint leafs and
podded peas ,would u like to help me oh grandad yes please and will never forget
these happy memories.
For you were such a gentleman
your smile sincere and true
For your hair was always in it's place
your funniness shone through
For the love you had of sport's
anything would do
football, tennis and many more
will always remind me of you
Your love of a great war film
Your love of a 25p bet
chatting to the pound shop girl's
A man impossible to forget
From your charming personality
to the way you wound up Nan
a little nudge
a little poke
the laughter it began
Your love of laying in the sun
Your balcony or in Spain
wasn't guaranteed the weather
it always seemed to rain
Yet your tan always so immaculate
A lovely golden brown
that's what happens when you move your sunbed
to follow the sun around
Your love of having a bit of cheese
or should I say a block
cracker's and cheese for everyone
say around 8 o'clock
Enjoyed cleaning a oven
and drinking a nice cup of tea
got lumbered entertaining kids
enjoyed a stroll down Leigh on sea
Your shirts always tucked in
and looking extra smart
Smelling of aftershave
You always looked the part
A handsome man
with a personality to desire
happy and bubbly
could dry your hair with his hands
faster than a hair dryer
It's all the little thing's
that made you
you
that we miss and love
but make us feel blue
Forever we remember
we will never forget
we were blessed to encounter
The best man yet!
Grandad was the best
He was better than the rest.
When he passed
My heart turned to glass.
Now he's up in heaven
I haven't seen him since I was eleven
Its so hard without him
I don't understand how I'm coping.
I suppose it's for you grandad.
I Love You!
Weather he is here or not,
The love for him is still Hot.
We all wish we could of touched you one last time,
It's all been a long time.
Five years have gone by,
And there's never a time you not in my eyes.
Grandad you keep me strong,
Don't ever worry it wont be long.
Sooner or later ill be in your warm arms,
holding you tight and never letting go.
I Love You Grandad!!
Rest In Peace My Angel....
This is only For a special person,
And that has to be you Grandad!
forever and always in my head...
When I see the stars i think of you!!! ***
Hallie
??
you light up every room
If I’m down you lift all my gloom
Your beautiful little face
Would brighten up any place
That cheeky little grin
Your cute little chin
Your funny little ways
You never cease to amaze
I can’t wait for you to grow
But a part me of wants you to take it slow
I can’t wait to see
How you will be
Though I don’t see you every day
I want you listen to what I say
There’s a place in my heart that will never alter
There will always be room for you my beautiful granddaughter
head cradled on folded arms
as a young boy I’d sit rapt
in the tales told by an old man
as he drew pictures at our dinner table
no bragging, not at all
just remembrances
of arid deserts and tuscan sunsets
heaving seas and emptying bellies
he saw the world
give or take
in six years
for king and country
back then I did not notice the pauses
how he never mentioned friends
eyes magnified through thick bifocals
searching some distant battlefield
he came home and got work in a mill
watched his wife die not long after
brought up three boys alone
but never grumbled, not at all
One day you dropped down dead,
Your heart stopped,
Dad says " you were the apple of his eye",
I wish I had known you,
My grandad,
Grandma never remarried,
You where her one true love,
You couldn't be replaced,
I often think of you,
Wondering what we would have done
My grandad,
Your together again these many years,
My grandma and grandad,
I love you both.
winter tree
scribble on paper
shattered glass
aging masterpiece
blood vessels
interrupted sleep
morning bed hair
porcelain crazing
drought dry earth
think quickly
fungal strands
frozen pond uh-oh
straw on floor
slept-in sheets
did I lock the door
letter from a pocket
can’t reach that itch
tickly cough
grandad’s skin
winter tree
Grandad was the best
He was better than the rest.
When he passed
My heart turned to glass.
Now he's up in heaven
I haven't seen him since I was eleven
Its so hard without him
I don't understand how I'm coping.
I suppose it's for you grandad.
I Love You!
Weather he is here or not,
The love for him is still Hot.
We all wish we could of touched you one last time,
It's all been a long time.
Five years have gone by,
And there's never a time you not in my eyes.
Grandad you keep me strong,
Don't ever worry it wont be long.
Sooner or later ill be in your warm arms,
holding you tight and never letting go.
I Love You Grandad!!
Rest In Peace My Angel....
This is only For a special person,
And that has to be you Grandad!
forever and always in my head...
When I see the stars i think of you!!! ***