Dear Grandma,
Hi! I haven’t seen you in a while,
I miss the brightness of your joy and the comfort of your lipstick stained smile.
I miss the way the chlorine in the pool reflected the warm Florida sun.
It sparkled like topaz, which made long days fun.
The lemon tree in your backyard the lemons to lemonade,
They tasted so sweet! The taste and memory will never fade
You made Christmas the best, Even though we only shared it once or twice,
The tree lit up the night sky,
Even where the land is drearily dry.
The beaches we went together, laying in the six p.m sun
Hoping that my time with you was never done.
The brown in your eyes is smooth and blended like caramel.
The sparkle in your eyes, the stars could never parallel.
Warmer than the Florida sun and the bubbly hot tub water,
Was your heart, your love burned hotter
I would call every Saturday; we would talk and draw,
Then, one fateful morning, we got the call.
The last time I went to your house, it wasn’t sunny but extra downpour,
The grey clouds with lightning steaks like flashing lights.
But it was a slow slow and hazy grey, not so bright
The sun that the pool reflected wasn’t there
Instead, a grey blanket, silence that blares.
The bright colors from a while ago instantly gone
It’s like the light stopped being on.
From fuchsia, neon yellow, true blue, bright red
Peach, cyan, turquoise, from those bright and vibrant colors to ones of dread
Cobalt, black, asphalt grey, charcoal, smoky grey
The colors that showed me you weren’t there for me, and now I have to lead the way.
Even at night, It was different; the stars lost their sparkle.
The sky appeared to be one big shade of charcoal
The once vibrant place, a beam of joy
Now sad and lonely like a broken toy
The sun wasn’t as sunny
The jokes were not as funny
More like the world was sound asleep in a blanket of numbness
No more joy or tears or secrets to confess
Even though you’re not with me today
Your memory is strong like a sunflower; it won’t blow away
Goodbye grandma, I wish you could stay
– Eliana
P.S I still have the plastic flowers you gave me.