i remember when i was very young
my grandmother and i walked into the welfare office
she gripped my hand tighter as we walked into the hot jam packed office
there were wall to wall mothers and children
and without looking at my grandmothers face
the lady opened the sticky sliding window and handed her a clip board of papers
my grandmother fussed with untangling the chain that secured the pen to the board
she began filling out the forms
and for a moment it was as though she was frozen
sitting statue like
again she gripped my hand even tighter this time and we peeled our legs from the plastic chairs
on the way home she talked to the very young me about never opening the door to strangers
answering the phone but never saying she wasn't home just that she was busy
that was the day my grandmother would take on a third house to clean and cook for
we stopped at the hardware store and that was the day my first house key was made
in my shirt the sharp key was tucked
strung along a string of some sort
i know that day made me a better person
i believe that day will remain with me forever
it was the beginning of so much
it was also the end of so much
i remember that day
it was a day in july
many years ago
*
*
*
i honestly can't stop listening to this song...
"tell me a tale that always was
sing me a song that i'll always hear
tell me a story that i can read
tell me a story that i can believe
paint me a picture that i can see
give me a touch that i can feel
turn me around so i can be
everything i was meant to be...
lord i need lovin
lord i need good good
lovin..."
xoxo
