Irvington, Indianapolis 1959    for Marion Haddow Fall 

It was just the leg of a journey,

Grandma May's long closet

With doors on each end--

She led me through 

Her whitewashed catacomb

To shelving, pulled thin box

From above and lifted lid

to reveal contents.

"Look at this," she insisted--

I saw a brown-toned photograph

Of young woman in velvet dress;

Her dark hair was pinned elegantly

Atop her head. "This is me,"

She exclaimed, "Can you believe

I was ever so beautiful?"

My five-year old self

Awkwardly shook head,

And mouthed the word "no."

I'm May's age now,

And I write this poem for her today--

It was just the leg of a journey,

Grandma May's long closet

With doors on each end--

Laura Stickney  2024

Notes:

photograph of Marion Kirkwood Haddow Fall,

c. 1908