Grandma's Words Poem by Bill Galvin

I've reached the point where downsizing is best for me,
And so I'm down from nine, to four good-sized rooms;
Enough space for one, plus an occasional guest or two.
I appreciate art and fine prints, so I have these wall hangings,
More than fits this apartment now…
So, I have to be creative with my wallscapes and corner space.
I have framed works sitting on small tables,
The back of the sofa and chairs, on the floor, leaning…
Trying to envision what they'll be like on this or that wall.
- - - - - - - -
Nana always used old-timey words in lieu of those unattainable;
Those that fell away from the tip of her tongue.
Most of us have heard them all before,
But they've also fallen away, from favor, mostly,
Because every generation invents their own hip jargon.
'Stop laughing at me', is what she'd say, if you just smiled,
As she tried to find the right word. Then she'd smile, too.
She didn't have any 'problem', no diagnosable shortcoming;
Just had that quirk a little more than others did, maybe.
She mixed up the names of her twins all her life;
That's why every old family photo, from childhood on,
Of my mother and aunt, had Audrey on the left, Shirley on the right.
I carried on the tradition when I'd pose them for photos,
In their eighties now, on family trips.
Even as a 10-12-year-old kid, spending summers with Nana,
I could hear the generations before her, channeling through her,
Passing those pet expressions all the long way down
From rural farmhouse-living then, to suburbia now,
By way of glancing stories with family names…
Like Whit, who owned a general store in Vermont,
Hattie, who played silent film scores on piano in Maine theaters,
Clarence, who retired to his farm and horses in New Hampshire.
- - - - - -
There are no nails going into these walls,
So, I've had to get some of these sticky 'Doodads' I never heard of,
To hang things from; they are easily removable,
By pulling on this 'Doohickey', releasing it from the surface.
I don't trust ‘em yet with the big or valuable stuff.
To me, nothing beats a proper-sized hanger and nail,
And no new-fangled 'Thingamajig' has won me over yet.
But, alas, I now rent, not own… and rules is rules.
Cabinet space is at a bit of a premium, too,
So, I got some 'Whatchamacallits' for stacking things.
- - - - - - -
'Billy, please bring me that 'Whatsit' over there on the 'Hoozie'.'
You could hear family history and 'Whatnot' through her…
What a lovely character… Nana lived to be 95… I smile today.

4-21-2016