Bentwood Rocker Poem by Christine A Kysely

I have a Bentwood Rocker
It's the most cherished thing I own
It is made from the willow branches
Of an ancient tree at my grandparent's home

It embraces me on my back porch
Both in the morning and at night
When a pair of cardinals come to visit me
At both the first and last day's light

I rock in a gentle rhythm
Sip my coffee and watch the clouds
And think to myself life's worth living
As I just sit and rock without a sound

Sometimes I hum a favorite tune
And sometimes I just rock silently alone
Somehow this chair seems to center me
It motion washes away life's rough edged stones

As I sway and think of days gone gone by
Of my brothers and sisters and me
Climbing up among the branches
Of my grandparents big old willow tree

We used to swing on all the branches
Like the Jungle Book's Tarzans and Janes
Laughing and swingly wildly, never quiet nor mundane
Yelling out profusely, howling out all the Jungle Book slang

We used to weave together the branches
Into leafy wreaths without any thorns
Improvised crowns of the greenest splendor
Just as Julius Caesar would have worn

Sometimes we added in flowers
Daisies and dandelions were always in season
Sometimes we just sat in that old tree
Just happy to be there, for no given reason

And so decades and decades of years have gone by
My Grandparents have long since passed on
But I think of them often as I rock in my chair
Cherished memories to always remember

And now the winter has settled in
My cherished rocker sits covered in snow
Waiting for the days of the songbirds return
Waiting for warm days instead of the cold

It sits silently waiting for Springs blossoms to arrive
For a day when I can rock without being froze
For an evening when relaxing in my comfortable rocker
Will signal the end of one of my beloved warmer days

(December 14, 2010 Wausau, Wisconsin USA)

(c) Copyright 2010 by Christine A Kysely, All Rights Reserved