Nanna / Poem

Nanna (written by Sarah Bennett)

She hands me the plate

Even though I have already had seconds.

“Are you hungry?” She asks.

“It was good,” I say, “I’m just full.”

It’s the third time I’ve told her I’m not hungry.

This is how she cares for me.

She leans over and tucks a piece of my hair behind my ear,

I keep it like that all night

And smile when she looks at me.

This is how I will remember Nanna.

The next morning she asks if I had a good sleep

Even though I have already said I did.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the room, or the mattress, or the temperature,” I say.

“Thank you for letting us stay with you.”

This is how she cares for me.

She offers me another biscuit as I smile and say I had a great sleep.

She accepts this and hands me a scotch finger

Before putting the jar away.

This is how I will remember Nanna.

As she reads my school report,

She tells me she’s proud,

That I’m working hard,

And asks what my favourite subject is.

This is how she cares for me.

Snakes and ladders is set up,

And she is alive, with me.

She doesn’t try to hide her joy in winning.

This is how I will remember Nanna.

The nursing home was part of her life,

And then ours too.

I will not remember the time between visits

Or how small her room was,

I will remember how she offered me a seat

And thanked us for being there.

This is how she cared for me.

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Just like the last poem I posted (Fishing), this isn’t new, but it’s a very special poem to me and it’s one I want available on my blog.

Sarah xx