She's now gone home, <br />smile lighting up the clouds as she went I'm sure; <br />over-weight, in her double wide on wheels <br />hundreds of mourners <br />all in white <br />Louisiana style <br />singing <br />'Oh where joy abounds.' <br /> <br />she wanted it that way. <br /> <br />They didn't put her in the hearse at first <br />they just rolled her through the our street <br />and through the neighborhood <br />so any and all could pay their respects <br />besides most didn't have cars for the funeral ride <br />they just opened their windows and waved her on <br />'Bye Lulu. God's gonna get a good one back.' <br /> <br />Strong as the wind, she fed the relatives every Sunday; <br />dinner at noon, hot biscuits and syrup, spaghetti cauldron- <br />enough for thirty- where she'd hand out the encouragement, <br />the admonishments and the love, <br />that big hand of hers in the family dike; <br /> <br />eyes of a leather eagle, heart of velvet stone, <br />arms full of 'chillings' at her ample bosom <br />making Sunday order for diners who sometimes had a week <br />of hurt pain and disorder. <br />Come to grandma's house and all that stopped at the door <br />with her eggs and bacon and her love. <br /> <br />Made the comforts of home for family and strangers, took them in her arms and cut their Chain of Sorrows and made it alright. <br /> <br />Lit her Sunday candle, said Grace, heads bowed and she would circulate <br />Talking to and touching each one. <br /> <br />Granddad, handed out bus and carfare <br />and made that week better for many <br />who left with brown bags of food and ration stamps. <br /> <br />So when her Big Brown Chariot rolled down the street <br />that Sunday noon <br />everybody knew <br />she'd be rising soon.<br /><br />Lonnie Hicks<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/grandma-rising/
