My Aunt Winifred Poem by Marilyn Lott

Because I loved her so very much
I cannot believe she’s gone
I always thought of her to be
Resilient, wise and strong

Her paintings dot my walls now like
A tree with a branch old and bent
And perched atop are two yellow birds
And a birdhouse that says For Rent

It has been around since I was small
I tried to sketch these little birds
Now I notice they don’t look the same
It’s so hard to find the words

For years we’ve had in common
Our love of writing poetry
We exchanged our creations often
Oh, it meant the world to me

She was always understanding
Never criticized and frowned
Our visits span so many years
And now she’s not around

She loved her brothers very much
Talked about them all the time
They too wrote poems and limericks
And they usually seemed to rhyme

A month or so before she died, she said
That she hoped when she was gone
There would be a huge family reunion
Because she knew where she belonged

Oh Lord, it seems impossible that I
Won’t see her ever again
Aunt Winifred, save a place for me
We’ll meet right around the bend!

She died May 1st,2009 at age 94