Gran, A K A Grandma, Our Town's Whore: I Loved Her … [ Originally About My Mom; But Someone Said: " Do Not Use Mom"; Oh, Well, Ok ] Poem by Bri Edwards

My mother, ‘Dear Mom', she raised me well.
All who say I'm crazy can just go to Hell!
A single mom with two kids, she did what she could, to put food on our table and raise me and Sis good.

I know now, years later, that "raise ….. good" ain't proper.
Her speech was sometimes ‘rough', but ….
that didn't stop her …from loving us.
But at age 6, Mom died; she was only 16 years older than I.
Killed by a burglar, she died quick.At times,
I STILL ask God: "Why? ".

Sis (my sister)and I then lived with Mom's.... mom and dad.
But, God ‘darn' it, Grandpa died too!A bad heart killed him, so sad! !
He'd not worked in years; Grandma had two jobs, ….
cleaning hotel rooms days; she said: "Some guests are slobs! ", AND….

…. pumping gas some nights for a few hours.
NOW only Gran had us, as Mom & Grandpa were pushin' up flowers.

: (: (: (: (: ( : ( : ( : ( : (

Sis and I were easy to care for, though Sis was two years younger.
Grandma used babysitters, when needed, to ‘watch' us, and care for our ‘hungers', ….
whether for food, or just to have someone
….around.
Sis (really Sandra)& I mostly watched TV, & tried to not make a sound.
I thought "Life's not TOO BAD", but the future did NOT look ‘bright'.
At age 8, Gran started to bring men home …..at night.

The men came home with Gran from the gas station, ….I think.
I was asleep in pj's, blue; Sandy had pink.
I guess our "sitter" left ‘bout 9 p.m.; I'll never know.
I got up to pee once, and saw a MAN!
Gran said: "Tom, this here is Joe."

Gran didn't have men friends ev'ry night, …
as far as I knew.
Then I began to notice new furniture, and other things [quite a few].
And Gran was home more, saw more of me and Sis.
Once in a while I'd see Gran and a ‘friend' hug and kiss! !

"Joe" didn't come to visit after a while, BUT
there were others.
Once, going back to bed, I ‘saw' Gran & Bill, under Gran's covers.
Gran once said: "Tommy, I've missed a man around the house".
I didn't understand, but (at night)I was quiet as a mouse …..
…..and heard ‘things'.

It was talking, laughing, and other things …
[things I KNOW about NOW].
I even heard what I thought was the sound of a TV-show cow!

Gran always found time (enough)to be ‘Grandma' for us.
We didn't know her schedule.We liked ‘sitters' and we seldom did fuss.
When Grandpa died, so did the car, & Gran walked to work or took the bus.
Then Gran got a car, "Used", with only SMALL spots of rust.

I was 9.At age 10, Gran got a "new" car, never used, but SMALL.
It was good enough for her, Sis & me; we were SMALL too, after all.
By that time I'd met Brian and Don and Tom; yeah, "Tom", same as me!
Others were: Frank, Bill, and Chuck.They gave Gran stuff ….for FREE! !

By my 11th birthday Gran only had 4 friends; I saw them ‘now and then'. They were: ….
Brian, Don, Bill, and Chuck.I never knew WHEN …
I'd see someone new "to me".I especially liked Brian.Sis liked Bill more.
Chuck was ‘ok'. He dressed nice and was polite, but he was a bore.

Guess what!One day just after Christmas, Gran said: "Sit down kids.[we sat]
Chuck asked me to marry him".Sis and I about ‘flipped our lids'! ! !
I mean we were "flabbergasted", "blown away", shocked, AND amazed.
But from then on, Chuck was Gran's ONLY ‘friend', and we had "Better Days" (ahead) .

The neighbor kid stopped saying: "Your Gran has every ‘Tom, Dick, and Harry' ".
Chuck spent time with all 3 of us.At times it seemed a bit SCARY ….
…that I'd have a ‘Grandpa' again, but Gran said: "Chuck is THE ONE for ME.
Give him a chance, BOTH you and Sandy.I'm sure a good Grandpa he'll be".

And ya know, Gran was right.

(October ….8th & 9th ….2018)