Grandfather
For the A-to-Z Blogging Challenge this year, I’m posting a 100 word piece of flash fiction every day. It might be a self-contained story, or a scene–whatever, it’ll be fiction, and it’ll be over in a flash! Today’s story poem is…
Grandfather
Grasping hands and guiltless joy, gurgles and grins.
Sparkling eyes and a line of drool.
Is he happy to see me, or does he need to be changed?
Without words,
these innocent gestures are so vague.
If only he could talk,
tell me what he wants,
tell me how he feels,
that he wants me here,
that he needs me.
that he loves me.
All I have are these grasping hands, these gurgles and gummy grins.
A reminder of how I used to be
many years ago.
An echo of what I might become
a few short years from now.
Check back tomorrow for H…
Love it – again 🙂 PS – I have just been told off by someone who saw your comment on my H and read my reply for not pointing out that the radio series was the original – therefore, in the interests of all round appeasement, I am stating it here 😉
Thank you, again, Cath! 😀
In my (and your) defense, I was distinguishing the original TV series from the relatively-recent movie adaptation. To be honest, I couldn’t remember if the book preceded the radio play, or vice versa. I guess it’s vice versa. I always remember seeing the books before I heard it was a radio play. So, no foul on anyone’s part, really. 🙂
I really really like this. I just… I don’t really have the right words but I totally feel this poem.
Thanks, Melanie–I’m glad it spoke to you. I really don’t consider myself a competent poet, but I tried expressing this same sentiment in prose, and it just didn’t work as well. 🙂
That’s lovely even if it’s also sad. Very powerful. Thanks for visiting my blog. 😉
Thank you, Lexa. And you’re very welcome. I seriously might use that idea for a ghost story… 🙂
A very poignant piece 🙂
Thanks, Steven. 🙂
Awww, quite the sad piece.
~Patricia Lynne~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, YA Author
Yes, it is in a way…
I love your concept of flash fiction for A to Z. 🙂 Very creative.
Yvonne
Thanks, Yvonne. It’s certainly fun writing them. 🙂
At first, even though the poem is clearly titled “grandfather”, I was thinking you were talking about a baby and the grandfather with the child. But I got it by the end for certain. It’s a very powerful poem 🙂
Thanks, Kim. I’m glad you like it.
Very well written. The tenderness of the piece adds to its powerful effect.
Thank you, Charles. As I mentioned above, I don’t consider myself much of a poet, but sometimes an idea hits that demands to be written this way.