For Ethel - Age 96 (1999) Poem by Margaret Kollmer

Dear little lady so far away
What tales you could tell of yesterday.....

Were you a dancer, a singer in halls
Were you the belle of glittering balls
How many hearts did you break, little lady
How many tears did you cry?
Your face is a vision of long-ago dreams
Some happy, some sad and some torn at the seams.

What secrets are held behind your closed lips
Those shining blue eyes and once-rounded hips
So many memories to be hugged, little lady
How many songs did you sing?
Did you hum to the magic of melodies strong
And trill to the sound of your yellow bird's song.

Where are your children, where did they go
Daguerrotype pictures seem covered with snow
So much to say if you could, little lady
So many tales you could tell.
Your world is your own, a world I would share
But sad, little lady, I'm here and you're there.

So goodnight, little lady from over the sea
Goodnight, little lady - and have one on me!