And then she smiled......

[Lynnie]

Last night I visited my beautiful grandaughter in hospital.......we have been away and it was my first visit in many months. I wasn't sure what to expect....she has been in pain for a long time, but last week she asked for help.

The following is a poem I wrote after seeing her........

I worried that she may not be the person I thought I knew

Would she still laugh at my silly jokes

Would she be at ease with me after so long

Would her private demons stand between us

Could she possibly still be the same green eyed girl I had loved for so long

She came towards me......her bright pink hair floating about her shoulders

Her large eyes looking out from her too pale face

Holding the sleeves of her jumper down between her fingers

She was slimmer than the last time I saw her

And I could tell at once she was ill at ease

Too much noise, too many people talking

I wanted to take her into my arms and kiss away her pain

To hold her and never let anything hurt her again

To brush her hair back and look into her once sparkling eyes

We spoke.....she talked a little, hesitant at first

She wished me happy birthday and gave me flowers

We only had a little time before she had to return

Return to that place that may or may not be helping her

To that place that holds so many of these hurt children

It got easier as she relaxed, looking at me with glimpses of the girl I knew

The girl with so much to give, so much still to experience

Her future, her family....her happiness is yet to come

It is easy to only remember the bad parts

To only talk about the bad parts

But I remember when she laughed with abandon

I remember the late night talks in my bed, the back rubs and giggles

I will not let her demons take her, she belongs to us

Her family....and we will fight for her and with her

Our time together was brief....too quickly over

But I knew I would see her again soon and that gave me comfort

I had been anxious about seeing her, I had worried that it would not go well

I needn't have.......behind those beautiful eyes is still our girl

She has a very long road to travel, too long for one so young

But I believe in her.......and then she smiled....and my world lit up.

[Jay-Dee]

Hi Lynnie,
Welcome to the ReachOut forums and thanks so much for sharing something so personal with us.

That it such a beautiful poem.

I'm not sure what the situation is with your granddaughter, but I'm glad you were able to go to her when she asked for help.

Take care,
JD.

[dilz]

@Lynnie - Beautiful poem - I especially love the last line 'I believe in her...and then she smiled...and my world lit up.'
I hope everything works out for both you and your daughter.

[Drew_cameron]

That, that was not a poem.

That was just a bunch of words.

You adhered to absolutely no rhyming pattern, the very notion that any sane person would think that was a poem is absurd. And I scoff at such suggestion. It was your grandaughter you say? Perhaps you meant to say grand-daughter.

But back to the fact that it was not a poem. A collection of sentences that had no tangible link, certainly. But in no definition of the word poem, was that a poem. It was just a series of bizarre worries. It then decends into a series of observations. And finally, it dissolves into worries again. I am really unsure what is wrong with your grand-daughter, and I truly do hope she gets better from whtever it is that be ailing her.

[Lynnie]

Thanks JD, I appreciate you kind words

[Lynnie]

Thanks Dilz..... it's nice to know people care, it's appreciated.

[Lynnie]

Thanks for your honest comment Drew, one day someone may just write a 'bunch of words for you', I wish you well.

[Shadow]

It's beautiful! I hope things are looking up for you both!

Remember to look after yourself too!  

Take care.

[Sophie-RO]

Hey Drew - totally not cool! What you have posted is against our forum guidelines....

Always:

• Respect what others think and believe.

Never:

• Be malicious, personally attack, bag out another member, or ‘troll’.

Check them out here.

Also, if you check out the guidelines you'll see it is not permissible to disclose your full name so you will need to sign up for a new account that does not disclose your full name in your username.

[Bella Haliday]

Poetry isn't about rhyming scheme, it's about conveying meaning in a beautiful and unique way. I personally found the poem to be incredibly beautiful.