Childhood
memories vivid but fleeting….
The warmth of her
embrace.
The sound of her
laughter.
Her full-body
‘giggle’.
The smell of her
cooking,
mingled with
cigarettes.
The hunch in her
back.
The touch of her
hands,
crippled with age.
Daily
visits…..
watching soap
operas;
eating soft-boiled
eggs for breakfast,
and spumoni ice
cream for dessert;
April Fool’s jokes;
stories from The
National Enquirer;
and our annual
viewing of the Wizard of Oz.
A constant
through childhood.
A safe haven in
her arms.
When
did it begin?
She looked the
same but really wasn't.
When
was…..
the moment that
her memories began to fade;
the hour when no
one was familiar;
the day when she
ceased to be the person I knew.
Was there
fear? Anguish? Or passive acceptance?
If
I knew then, what I know now…..
Would it have
made a difference?
Would I, or she,
have done things differently?
Or said things
left unspoken?
An unconditional
acceptance and love like no other,
gone over time
and in an instant.
©
Esther Goldstein, 2018
