A little faster, Grandma;
Let the steam fly
off my strings.
It’s all in my head;
the sheet on the bed,
pillow under my neck.
A little faster, Grandma;
we may never
speak of this again.
You’re tired and sleepy,
but I’m dreaming up
whole and half-notes.
A little faster, Grandma;
the brass is percolating,
I am composing.
Your wrinkles not ironed,
however I iron out
the rhythm and time.
A little faster, Grandma;
we’re not at a slow pace,
as the lyrics strum cheek to cheek.
one wish grandma woke me up in the middle of the night
Her pathetic teensy sparkler wand was a weird little sight
I only have one wish, I can give it to you in a few
Thus saying, that crazy old lady, went up through the flue
I did not know I even spoke bird
But this robin named Bobbin knew it I guess
He came by and whispered a single word
I was amazed, and stopped to hear the rest
His wife had kicked him out of their nest
He did not even like their neighbor, the sexy trouble-maker
But his wife had left out extra string as a weird kind of test
it was missing, so she thought he was involved with the heart breaker
The bird’s tale of woe was better than a soap opera on TV
Grandma stopped watching her shows, and now listened to him
There was another bird in the equation name of Robin Jim
She listened, enthralled, as only an old woman can be.
Old age is
Legs made of crumbs, fingers becoming twigs
uneven floors and squeeze toys becoming hazardous
clusters of friends becoming spirits on the wing
all the others squat in attics or linger in the eaves.
If lucky enough, you get to hug a loved one once a week.
Old age is
a favorite hymn fleeing one note at a time
playground giggles skipping youth back into the light...
Chasing a sunrise after shuffling from the chains of night.
old age is a star and firefly slowly becoming one.
Old age is
pretending there's a piece of this world that still cares.
Reaching for a bowlegged tabby that's no longer there.
It's a silver-haired orphan opening another cold can of alone...
A universe of humanity becoming a Hawkins black hole.
Memories like lemon drops slipping from life's crystal bowl.
A trickster stripping away grace and tact long before you're gone.
Grandma Wisdom once said, "Old age isn't for sissies".
A cold rain is coming; I can feel it deep in my bones."
Dorothy wanted her own Christmas tree
That’s silly said her parents, truly silly!
They told this to her Uncle Leroy Lee
He told their grandmama who went on a spree
She brought a tree for each of the kids that day
Swiping their parents’ ridiculous excuses away
I am the grandma, I can do what I want she said.
You cannot put me in a corner or put me to bed.
I miss your kind words and your tender greetings
Your genuine hugs always had so much meaning
I miss when you’d get up for morning spring cleaning
I miss the way you supported me every time I kept dreaming
You handled everything with such grace and such care
A delicate woman, a typical Taurus I swear
You were stuck in your ways but you were always still there
Cuz when mom wasn’t around you’d be Mama bear
You took me to church almost every single Sunday
And I’d complain—but I knew I’d regret it one day
You had pure intentions even if I couldn’t have it my way
You made sure I had it all, even on your birthday
Abuela I miss you more than you’ll ever know
I’m sad that we had to part because you had to go
And although I wish you were still standing right here
You’ll still be in my heart where I hold you so dear.
I found it buried in Grandma’s drawer,
the blasted wooden spoon with the burn mark
and the hairline crack God knows what from.
She snatched it from my hand like it was alive.
“That thing’s seen more trouble than you,” she said,
and the air in the kitchen shifted,
as if the spoon remembered something
and was waiting to see if I did too.
It wasn’t for stirring beans.
It wasn’t for tasting stew.
that spoon was for pointing ... slow, deliberate
at any child that had forgotten their manners.
My father swore he could hear it hum
before it struck the table.
My mother said it twitched in the drawer
when someone lied in the next room.
By the time it came for my generation,
we didn’t need the smack,
just the lift of Grandma’s hand toward the drawer,
the shadow of the spoon rising like judgment.
And years later, when my own children tested me,
I reached for it not in a drawer, but in its own crock
felt its weight settle into my palm,
felt every ancestor nod in approval.
The spoon never touched them.
It didn’t have to.
Some objects carry their own history,
and this one still waits in the crock,
quiet as a predator stalking its prey.
all I want is a baby giraffe, the annoying child said
His mother rolled her finger around her ear and head
His father tried to talk him out of it
But grandma brought a baby giraffe for the little chit
Adieu, Grandma. We loved you.
Christmas won't be the same without you.
We'll miss you a bunch.
Wordku: 5-7-5 words
AP: Honorable Mention 2026
Grandma could not wait to get her mitts
on her new grandson named Karmen Kay Kits
a first-time grandma at ninety-one
she thought this might be gobs of fun
Her son, Karmen’s first-time father was seventy-two
He hovered over her and the baby, making her feel blue
Suggesting how she should hold the baby’s neck and head
She told him and his wife to go on to bed
They were grumpy and mean, never having put the baby down
She figured they were the most sleep deprived two in town
Suggesting the baby could cry in his own bed did no good
They thought they knew everything, as only new parents could
Grandma could not wait to go home on the plane
Doubt she’ll be eager to get back there again
GRANDMA'S RECIPES ARE ILLEGAL ,
THEY GO AGAINST THE FDA.
DOCTORS , LAYERS AND SCIENCE
ARE WORRIED THEY WON'T GET PAID.
THE NATURE OF SCIENCE TURNS SOUR
WITH THE INTRODUCTIONS OF GMO'S
ALTERING EVOLUTION , INTO THE
DIRECTION OF LIFE UNKNOWN.
WITH REASON AND LOGIC DISTORTION
REALITY BECOMES A BLUR.
CAUSING MORTAL BEINGS AND THEIR
BELIEFS TO BECOME UNSURE.
MODIFICATION OF BIOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR
TURNS HUMANS INTO FREAKS OF
NATURE
CAUSING A WORLD OF CHAOS
AS SEEN THROUGH NOMANCLATURE
DOCTORS AND LAWYERS FOR SCIENCE
ARE PATIENTLY STANDING BY
EQUIPPED , ARMED AND READY
TO PROOVE NATURE IS A LIE.
ENTER , VIRTUAL REALITY
WHERE YOUR LIFE IS JUST A DREAM.
UNDER ARTIFICIAL INNTELLIGENCE
LIFE ISN'T WHAT IT SEEMS.
STEP BACK INTO GRANDMA'S KITCHEN
TAKE A SEAT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE.
LISTEN TO GRANDMA'S WISDOM ,
THAT'S ONLY IF WILLING AND ABLE.
Michael E.Harris
O4031026
Tommy, my quintessential favorite black cat loved Halloween
we stayed inside to watch trick-or-treaters through a screen
Tommy loved to go outside but on that night, we stayed in
he was not eager to see all of the strangers dressed in a whim
he was a one-woman cat, scarecrows and skulls amused him
He liked seeing lights that lit up by sensors scaring kids to their brim
when children screamed, he would hide under the couch or bed
he distrusted people he did not think were right in the head
He seemed to have a fancy for older folks, liked them a lot
my grandmother always brought him a treat from her pot
something with tuna, salmon, or some other kind of fish
She presented it with a flourish, and he gave his tail a swish
They were happy with each other, Tommy and my Grandma Fay
Halloween night was not a time we saw her though, she stayed away
She was not fond of children’s screams any more than Tommy she said.
I was glad, because she was corpulent, and could not fit under my bed.
Grandma
family baker
famous for her donuts
and her lumpy mashed potatoes
best friend
blue jeans grandma with a plaid shirt
three days wearing them, she has dirt
not persnickety in any way
happily grungy every day
she was the closest when no
when no one was around
sitting round with not one frown
need a lyft to go
we've got you covered.
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