Poems by Marie Matheny

Getting the grandkids
For the weekend
Starts out sweet and calm
Soon it turns to chaos
As time lingers on

Sleep deprivation
Too many sweets
Turns to aggravation
Between them and me

They play good for five minutes
Then argue for twenty
As the day wears on
It never is too pretty

My patience goes out the window
I'm yelling at both of them
They are crying and fighting
Total chaos to the end

I tell myself
After it's done and over
It'll be a long while
Before I have them over

But one weekend comes and goes
I forget the chaos and then
Before I know what I have done
They're back with me again

It's a never-ending cycle
Coming to Nana's on weekends
This chaos and confusion
I fear will someday end

Love, love my grandkids
Love them to the core
Love the chaos and confusion
And the memories even more...

Here it is,
Your special day,
So I thought I'd take
This time to say

How nice it is
To have a friend
Who listens
and understands.

The kind of friend
Who's always there,
Ready to show
That someone cares.

You've cheered me up
When I was down
Just by simply
Hanging around.

And oh the times
We've spent in laughter
Have made me chuckle
For many days after.

We've stored many
Good memories away
As I sit here drowned
In memory today.

Wanted to share
This thought with you
Having you as a friend
Makes it my special day too.

The sun and sand go hand in hand.
The sound of constant waves -
There's a smell of salt in the air.
The ocean is seen through a haze.

The parents bring their children
And watch them play in the sand.
They help them jump the waves
By holding little hands.

The teens exude vitality and youth.
They know they're coming of age.
They strut and prance and dance around
As if they were on stage.

Lovers strolling hand in hand
Enjoy their day of sun and sand.
They seem to think they're all alone -
The crowded beach on which they roam.

The old move slow and steady
Thinking it's no notion.
This could be the last time
They get to see the ocean.

The seagulls glide in circles.
It seems without a care,
But really they are searching
A crumb to catch mid-air.

Scattered on the beach
Are castles made of sand.
Some are small and messy - 
Others big and grand.

If one is lucky,
While looking out to sea
They may spot some dolphins
Swimming gracefully.

A day at the beach is not complete
Without catching the perfect wave
Or gathering shells along the shore -
Souvenirs of a perfect day...

There are times when things seem normal again
We laugh and talk about trivial things
We enjoy each other's company
But we can't deny the thought in our minds
Unspoken words of what lingers behind
Of knowing it will come sooner than we are ready for
I don't know if I will be able to stand the sorrow
Of losing you before your body goes
And sometimes I sit and cry alone
For it is hard to watch you slowly go....