My grandfather was a WWII vet, war hero, and small-town farmer. He was a sweet, sweet man, but raised to be very stoic, quiet, and a little distant. He struggled through many sicknesses and health issues towards the end of his life and felt that his death was just around the corner... for years.
Christmas in Tennessee
Allie Frazier
He lives in arthritic fear,
his bones
dry and brittle,
his veins
weak and swollen yet
his doctor gives him at least ten more years.
He dreads the holidays—
his lively granddaughters reminding him of an easier life
when he could still walk up stairs two at a time
or listen to sermons without a hearing aid
or sweat the Mexican spices in white chicken chili.
But now, this new century has left
A funny taste in his mouth.
He rolls it around his tongue as he sits
uncomfortably in the corner and dreams
of his looming death.
In a world of his own,
he stiffly watches
the warm-blooded bodies
moving their muted lips
and breathing easy on the couch.
My grandpa,
suspicious of death,
squeezing my hand,
saying goodbye for the
last time
three Christmas’s in a row.
- 2008
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