More Than They Need Me Poem by Barbara Haskell

I was living my life, I had two children,
I'd been a wife.
I worked and played, had such zest,
when, suddenly, one day, it started to come apart,
it came falling down, like a broken flower pot.
There was pain and numerous surgeries,
but they were all in vain
and I became
disabled...and I lost me.
So many times I wanted to quit,
too much pain, too much hurt,
within, without,
tears shed, lost count.
Then I would hear, pitter, patter, pitter, patter,
the sound of tiny, running feet
and nothing, nothing else mattered.
I would hear giggling and look into the eyes of my grandaughter.
I'm her grandma and she loves me
and oh, how I love my Bree!
Watching her learn to walk gave me the will,
to keep going on.
Also, our many conversations, as she learned to talk.
And then, there came another one,
the birth of Forrest,
my grandson!
How those two can make me smile,
how they warm my heart.
Oh, yes, they make my life worthwhile.
I found a large part of the self I'd lost.
I was needed, I mattered!
I could take care of
my grandson and grandaughter!
Read stories to them, play patty cake
and put band-aid's on boo boo's.
Go feed the ducks at the lake,
give my babies hugs and kisses, too.
I need them
more than they need me,
those two are keeping me going,
you see?