Grandma Poem by Lilibeth Apat

There's a special woman in my life aside from Mama;
My love, defender, friend - rolled into one;
She's my love, my very special someone;
And this has never changed with time.

She was my defender when I was a little girl,
When I had been too small to stand for myself,
When things didn't turn out right, she's my ever loyal friend;
Even when everyone else deserted me, she always stayed.

My world revolved around her,
I trusted her with all my heart,
For the most trivial things I came to her;
Even the complicated ones she changed into easy tasks.

'Twas God's will we soon were to part;
I didn't know what to do, it really broke my heart;
How could I ever live my life without her by my side?
It seemed impossible to me, I didn't even want to try.

Then I learned life's like that
You have to cope or you'll never survive
I tried to be strong for her in this faraway land
She nurtured me, I wanted her to glow with pride.

After ten long years I came back;
A very short visit, that was;
The woman I loved all these years
Reunited with me at last!

The feeling was indescribable
My happiness overflowed
I felt something beyond explanation
When, again, in her arms, she held me so close.

I've waited a long time for that event in my life,
My tears started falling - tears that never seemed to stop.
The woman I cared for has changed a lot,
But she's still and she'll always be someone I love.

Her vision impaired, she only felt my features on her palm;
I locked the moments safely in my heart;
When it was time again to say goodbye, I thought I'd die;
I couldn't stop weeping, leaving part of me behind.

From time to time I play her image on my mind;
I thank God for giving her to me and Ma,
We are blessed to have her in our lives;
I promise myself I'll come back to her some time.