By Brooke Davidoff
Snap Shot
A snap shot,
falls out of a
book
and floats to the floor.
Frozen in time
her brilliant blue eyes
glow back at me
from years ago.
Her deck was illuminated
in the warm afternoon sunlight.
Eucalyptus and palm trees glow in the background.
She sat with a book and coffee in hand
surrounded by violet and magenta flowers
wearing a pink floral top and white Keds.
This was before.
Before,
I watched light
dance across her floor
as life
slipped
away.
I watched powerless
not knowing
that love can not keep someone alive.
Tightly I still hold onto pieces of her
trying
to ignore
shards of loss inside.
She comes to me
by starlight.
I believe she will help me
find my future.
She always wanted
what was best for me.
Even from beyond the grave.
My grandma Gertie died in August 2006 she was 92, and one of my best friends. She still comes to me in dreams often. She taught me to love without walls, to sing along to Broadway musicals no matter who was in the room. She taught me to believe in myself and the magic that life leads us where we are supposed to go.
—
This story is part of Her Life as Art: Coming Together Through Grandmother Stories, a unique, multi-dimensional, week-long series of events celebrating the wisdom and legacy of the grandmother figures in our lives, taking place Nov. 6 – 12, 2021 at the Kansas City United Church of Christ, 205 W. 65th St. KCMO, 64113. We invite you to view the art exhibit and attend other related events. For details, please visit www.kcucc.org.