Page 64 - HEF Pen & Ink 2022

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The child giggled
And smiled with glee.
She ran to her grandfather And sat on his knee.
“Grandpa,” she said,
“I have something to say.
I have a question to ask you.” He said, “Ask away.”
“What does it mean to miss someone?”
Grandpa took a deep breath And let out a sigh.
He gathered his thoughts Of how he’d reply.
“Look at me, child.”
He said with a smile, “I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been here for a while.
“I know what it means to miss someone.
“When you go on a playdate to play with your friend, But your mom picks you up Because it’s come to an end.
“You want to go back,
Walk back through that door. You want to be with them
To Miss Someone By Victoria Seamons
For just a little bit more.
“That’s what it means to miss someone.
“And sometimes your parents, Your mom and your dad, Have to go somewhere else And you want them back bad.
“You want them at home
So you can hug them so tight. You miss their voices
When they tell you goodnight.
“That’s when you know you miss someone.
“But sometimes, my child,” He took a deep breath, “Sometimes they’re taken By a thing we call death.
“That’s when they leave
And they can never come back They try and they try
But it’s life that they lack.
“So you look for them eve- rywhere,
In the streets, at the door, In the lights of the city, At the beach on the shore.
“Tiny memories of them Will pop up in your head; At the park, in the stars While you’re laying in bed.”
“But grandpa?” she ques- tioned,
“Could it be true?
That death that you speak of, Did it take you too?”
He looked deep in her eyes. “Yes,” he replied.
“But if you think and remem- ber
I’ll be by your side.
“I love you my child,”
He said with a smile
And his eyes filled with tears. “Now I must go for a while.”
The child watched him As he faded away.
“I’ll never forget you.
I miss you, okay?”
Sunsets of Yellowstone By Kylie Stevens