Grandmother's Chair

It's old and scuffed,
and smoothed with years of loving use.
It sits in the corner, 
across from the stone hearth,
rocking gently;
back and forth,
back and forth.
It rocks in cadence
with a gentle creaking sound,
a rhythmic tune on a wooden floor.
The only piece of furniture
in the back room of an old wooden house,
a shack really, 
complete with fallen front porch
and tin roof.
The house sits on a stone foundation;
river rocks
stacked with staggered perfection
and held tight with mud and mortar,
a century old and still bearing the weight.
Inside my grandmother rocks my daughter
in the same chair, her grandmother rocked her.

Reviews

[WithinTheHeart]

A reading ...which brings a smile to your face, and an overwhelming warmth in your heart.
A very visual read. You can almost hear the sounds of the old house, with the screech of that rocking chair.
Definitely brought forth a flood of memories.
A truly great write.

[James]

Thank you so much. That's a huge compliment...so glad you liked it.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Gorgeous I love this poem

[James]

I'm glad you like it. I had forgotten about it, thanks

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

Sweet read indeed. Your writing is so happy and full of joy, its also pretty meaningful, and this was no exception. I liked the ending quite a bit. Very sentimental piece, well written to.
Well done keep writing :)

[James]

Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed this

[cimmy wuv xxxooo]

Your welcome

[Ana Papaya]

This is very touching. So sweet to see the generations connect like this.

[James]

I was thinking about my great grandmother and her house in Kentucky. She lived into her 90s and never had indoor plumbing.

[Ana Papaya]

Yes, I have a grandmother like that. We're a bit spoiled these days.
Can you imagine one of us living that way?

[James]

I was terrified of that place, but I will never forget her or her chair, or the smell of the house.

[Lydia Shutter]

From generation to generation.....the traditions are sweet and filled with memories. So very lovely. Make sure you take photos of your grandmother and you daughter together. You will treasure them. Lydi**

[Gray]

From generation to generation love carries on. Home is not always perfect floors and the best furniture. Home is the love that generates time with a favorite chair and memories. The descriptions here are notably warm and caring.

[James]

Thank you so much for reading and commenting. I glad you enjoyed this.

[barleygirl]

The carefully-crafted details in your description (not just the chair, but even more so, the house) are as vivid as if I'm looking at it in front of me. Altho I love your comforting message about perpetuating family traditions, I'm afraid your descriptions derail my attention & this is what's most memorable for me. Maybe I'm jaded becuz of my broken family experience.

[James]

I think I really wanted to write about the house. I was flipping through pictures and saw my great grandmother sitting in front of her house in Kentucky, an old shack without running water.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

love old chairs...have a couple paintings in my house of just that, empty chairs which let us imagine their use...and who sat in them and rocked...back and forth...and still the ghosts of those people rock back and forth--

old houses have such character...as does this lovely poem...

j.

[James]

Thank you, very much Jacob.