Grandma held us together
Small and wiry
a Granny Clampett
fortunately
without a rifle
Matriarch
never minuscule
in her mind
Grandpa’ nickname
Kommandant
suited her
His gentleness could not
manage complexities
budgeting and business
it was her way
to bulldoze through
Her moleskin soft cheek
against mine
we watched Edge of Night
Secret Storm
her life riding rogue waves
Lost her mother
baby brother
to consumption
before she turned five
Later gained stepmother
another frail brother
She grew into a flapper
soaked in speakeasies
cigarettes and sweet wine
Married a German
our steady trunk family tree
my uncle arrived fast
mother took seven more years
They’re all gone now
My mother is here
remembering little
of truth and tradition
no holiday lights in her eyes
I walk the hallways of longing
this time of year
Make old family cookies
sons spouses granddaughter
butter sugar vanilla
binds us all together now
