For Katy

My grandmother passed away on Friday, October 10, 2008. As a final tribute to the wonderful woman she was, all of the grandchildren put together a beautiful board covered in writing, pictures, memories, etc. I was asked to write a poem, and I found it fitting to share it here.

Goodbye, Grandma C. We love you and we're glad you made it home.

For Katy

Narrow way, my road two lanes
A sudden fork breaks my thought
Lined with houses, window panes
A third road I had never sought

The people, unlike many I’d met
A closely-knit-together bunch
At the center, two people set
Upon dissolving any crunch

One of the two, a fire fierce
Presiding over jocular din
Stubborn grin, eyes set to pierce
Any who dared cross her kin

Love, dependent not on blood
Nor on the quantity of days
Rather, on the enduring flood
Of care that fueled her blaze

Welcoming, with softened words
That took down ancient fences
Familial, sweet, something absurd
Evinced flaws in my defenses

Now time, he’s but a funny friend
A reminder of present and past
Whispering darkly, of an end
Of the fire that would pass

Narrow way, the road three lanes
A sudden fall breaks our run
The candles low in window panes
But her fire still burns on.