The crickets were chirping, shadows pass in the night, Angry clouds cover the moonlit sky. A thunderous roar, the sting of raindrops, a storm on its way, And she sits on her old porch swing thinking of yesterday.
She puts her arthritic fingers to her wrinkled face, Stroking her forehead trying to ease the pain. Her hair is as white as a newly fallen snow, And it reaches her waist, but not much longer would it be so.
He liked it long, never wanted it cut, And though he was gone now, she still kept it in a bun. But she had trouble now her fingers couldn't be controlled, I guess that's what happens when you get old.
Arthritis in her hips, so the doctors say, And on the arm of the swing rested her cane. Around the crook, she wrapped her fingers and tears filled her eyes, She felt the pain stronger this night.
As she hobbled down the stairs careful not to fall, She couldn't resist the sound of nature's call. The wind spread its wrath, blowing leaves all over the place It pulled her hair loose whipping it across her face.
She let out a mournful cry, emotions out of control, For she thought she could hear the voice of her soul. Heart-wrenching sobs echoed in the night, As she relived the memories, her husband, the love of her life.
At the church social, she was dancing with Jimmy Brown, She felt his eyes upon her, and she turned around. He asked for the next dance, it was love at first sight, They danced and danced late into the night.
Long walks and picnics, by a brook in the woods, Back then life was so good. He bought her a box of Cracker Jacks; a child's ring was the prize, But it was better than a diamond in her eyes.
She still had it in a hatbox, her treasures of time, Love letters and poems, and even a dime. She smiled through the storms rage; the dime was from their first kiss, He bade her to always hang on to it.
Nickel after nickel, he spent at the county fair, Till he finally won her a teddy bear. From his old red shirt, he cut a heart, And pinned it on the bear, in case they ever had to part.
It was old now even the teddy bear had aged in years But his heart had remained through her tears. Three years their love had survived, Then a beam fell in the coal mine.
She rushed to his side, and she cried for her soul, He told her he loved her, but it was his time to go. His death hit her hard, how could she go on? Her heart died leaving her all alone.
A whisper in the wind, a flash of lightning in the air, A soft hand pulling back her hair. He guided her upward she had found her heart, And never again would they have to part.
Her house was sold, a young child found her treasure, The old worn teddy bear became her greatest pleasure. For hours, she would sit making up stories about the bear, And she never removed the heart that still rested there.
© Cynthia Clark