Ganesha is my grandmother
I see her 90 year old smile
in his wise beautiful eyes
she lived with us

a guardian in her upper room
we went there for sweets
roly-poly
Nana Ganesha

candy in one hand
rosary in the other
she was all bejeweled ears and wise advice
about removing obstacles

from her isolated niche
she always knew what was going on
we brought her offerings
meals on a silver tray and rubbed her toes

her trunk was full
of handmade lace
and flutes
from the old country

we heard her calling
"aiyma!" her own
Maltese invocation
for taking away pains

in her nursing home cabinet
a bottle of four roses
one tiny drink a day
was her prescription

for setting out
enthroned
in her rocking chair
across the waters with spirit

06/17/2009

Author's Note: Poets on Site on Ganesha, July 2009

Posted on 06/18/2009
Copyright © 2024 Kathleen Wilson