Sun Kissed Days

Sun Kissed Days

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Fourth Floor




Grandma lived on the fourth floor,
but you would never know it.
A jungle of 
plants adorning her terrace,
serenity would wash over us when we 
were small.
We could see the zoo from the terrace,
spy on the giraffes,
the smell would rise above on windy days.
That was before developers came in and bought the land.
I missed the zoo when it closed down,
the feeling I was in a far away place,
even though I was caged in the city.
Grandma had open arms,
and an open heart.
Her kitchen abundant with food,
cooked with love.
She was sunny,
and colorful like the beads she wore.
Her eyes blue as the ocean,
her strength deep,
but silent.
She had wisdom that was not taught in books,
but life. 
Grandma smiled with kindness as 
she offered casata ice cream,
three flavors living side by side,
in a box of wonder.
Her eyes would sparkle,
as we tasted the sweetness. 
She had endured war and loss,
pain unimaginable.
Yet, she found the way,
her days unfolding,
her days filled with simple gratitude ,
Her ways taught us,
about love and family,
about dignity,
and survival.
Grandma lived on the fourth floor,
you would never know it because
it was a world of it's own. 



Dedicated to my grandmother Dora. She was an amazing woman that survived the war. Her parents were murdered and she had to go on and struggle through the war with two small children. She was a survivor and
she had grace and dignity. She worked hard all her life and she was all about family and her children. I appreciate now her quiet strength, the older I get the more I understand. Please join us here, http://dversepoets.com/ where we share our thoughts and our hearts.
 
 

94 comments:

  1. smiles....i love gramma...i have had only one since i was 10....all my other grandparents passing on...we used to go to her house every sunday and i grew up ont he creek by her house....ugh on the developers....same thing happened around my parents house...taking out much of the woods i played in as a kid as well...

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  2. Sounds like an amazing woman indeed, and a wonderful world around her was weaved.

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  3. She sounds like an absolutely wonderful woman. Reminds me of my grandma, especially the quiet strength. Priceless things we learn from them, and so true we appreciate and understand the older we get. Thank you for sharing this lovely tribute to her.

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    1. Thank you, Jen...there is appreciation the older we get...

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  4. I love this tribute to your grandmother, Ayala. I especially like the analogy of you in the city to the animals in the zoo.

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  5. lovely memories... thanks for sharing

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  6. A very nice tribute to your grand-mom ... wonderful memories and images here !!!

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  7. A lovely tribute to your grandmother... what a hard life she lived, but her grandchildren were the apples of her eyes, I'm sure. Thanks for sharing the memories. Have you ever seen We Bought a Zoo?

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    1. Thank you, Laurie. I have seen it and I love it...I cried a lot.

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  8. My favorite flower...
    beautiful tribute to your grandmother. Wish I could taste some from her kitchen :)

    hugs xoxo

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  9. Ayala, A very moving commentary on the individual qualities of surviving. And she was able to instill a knowledge of those qualities in you. Very nice job. --no need to visit back, no post from me tonight.

    SK

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    1. Thank you, Steve. I appreciate your kind words.

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  10. She sounds like a woman of monumental resilience and a heart full of love. Thank you for sharing her with us.

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  11. " She had wisdom that was not taught in books,
    but life. "

    That is the best kind of wisdom.What a wonderful woman, and what wonderful memories you have of her.

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    1. That is the best wisdom :) Thank you, Kelly.

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  12. Indeed. Strength doesn't have to roar to make itself known. I know for one, I would have really liked your Grandma. She went through some horrific things yet, she used it to help her find the right way for herself to heal and, to live to love.
    You reached in and touched me deeply with this wonderful tribute to a wonderful woman.

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  13. What a lovely tribute to yet another vivid member of your wonderful family. And I think I see where you get your strength. Lovely write, A !

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  14. Lovely tribute to your Grandma, Grandparents are a world of wisdom, thanks for sharing

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  15. A beautiful share Ayala ~ I love how you remembered her with love, kindness and strength ~ Have a lovely week ~

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  16. This is so lovely. Such a nice tribute. And so well done. The last and first lines tie a beautiful ribbon around it.

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  17. This is truly beautiful, Ayala. You always write with such love for members of your family..your mother, your grandmother, etc. I love the description of your grandmother's fourth floor as a world of its own. I hope my granddaughter feels the same about my place! And the lesson of gratitude lives on, I think. In you!

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    1. Thank you, Mary. I am certain your granddaughter does.. :)

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  18. A beautiful tribute, her home sounded like a wonderland of plants, and a view of the zoo. What a wonderful woman and elder to have in your family. As always a joy and inspiration Ayala.

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  19. A wonderful tribute. You were blessed to have this wonderful person for a grandma! Beautifully written, Ayala. Your love and respect for her shine throughout the poem.

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  20. I feel we are blessed when our childhood is with our grandmothers. This is a really wonderful write sparks with warmth, smiles, and joy.

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    1. Thank you, dear Lisa. Yes we were blessed.

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  21. Lovely tribute. So great to see others remember those we loved and are now gone. We can never remember them enough and should serve as a reminder to love those we now have. Thanks for remembering.

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  22. A beautiful tribute to your grandma. Casata ice cream, wow, I love that you used that in this poem, Ayala.

    Pamela

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  23. she sounds like a wonderful woman ayala...wisdom not taught with books but life..that's something so precious...and i can understand that you missed the zoo...

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    1. Thank you, Claudia. I wish I knew then what I know now. :)

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  24. Lovely, tribute. k .

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  25. Such a lovely tribute to your grandmother...She sounds like she was a true gem.

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  26. Oh, this is so lovely. I know your grandmother lives within you. Your words show that.

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  27. What a beautiful ode to your grandmother, Ayala! To me, the casata ice-cream says so much: a grandmother wanting the best for her grandchildren.
    Simply wonderful

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  28. This is beautiful, so much love in this poem! :)

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  29. My grandmother, too, had her own world of lush plants in a Chicago basement apartment, and brought us her magic of love as children. A lovely and loving portrait, ayala.

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    1. Joy, I love that your grandmother had her own lush world in a Chicago basement, that's awesome!

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  30. "She was sunny,
    and colorful like the beads she wore."

    How I love this portrait!

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    1. Thank you, Susan. I always remember the beads. :)

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  31. Wonderful dedication. My own grandmother is incredibly special to me. I can relate to the love and devotion, the cherished memories very closely.

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  32. beautifully written tribute Ayala! as i was reading i was thinking 'just like my grandma' thank you so much! much love <3
    Hope

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  33. Ayala, love how you wove the events with your grandma's reactions and joy--a beautiful poem, a treasure to have someone like that in your life--thank you for sharing her:-)

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  34. She sounds like a wonderful woman--And so much love she gave you and you her--beautiful capture of that love in this piece

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  35. what a lovely tribute to her...

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  36. What a beautiful tribute.

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  37. She would be pleased her Granddaughter has honoured her in this way.

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  38. A beautiful excerpt, completely reminds me of the way Sandra Cisneros writes, who I adore. Love the way you brought it full-circle and added just a bit more loveliness at the end.

    What an amazing woman, thank you for sharing her mythic beauty with us.

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    1. Thank you, Archna. I don't think I have read Sandra Cisneros but I will look her up.

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  39. Isn't that true? "The older we get the better we understand" (You wrote that.)

    OK! Ayala, I keep getting older...but understanding less.--grin!!!!

    This was/IS a positively OUTSTANDING tribute to "grandma". thank you, Ayala!

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    1. Thank you, Steve. Yes...I hope that's true :)

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  40. i love this collection of tributes you seem to be compiling here, and how close you are with your ancestry. great to see you:)

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  41. Hi Ayala, I would like you to know that this is oceangirl of Live High.

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  42. I loved getting to know a piece of your Grandma's world through your words. Thanks for sharing Ayala.

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    1. Thank you, Rudri. Sending you love in your difficult time. xo

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  43. Oh, what a wonderful tribute to your grandma. It makes me think of my grandma, also wise beyond book learning, kind and a gardener. Thanks for the warm fuzzies. xo

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    1. Thank you, Mary. Grandmothers are the best, are they not? Glad it brought back good memories for you. xo

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  44. What a truly, beautiful and heartfelt tribute to your grandma. In many ways she reminds me of one of mine, on my mother's side. I've always seen grandmothers as the bedrock of a family, strong but affectionate. Many thanks. I enjoyed your poem a lot.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Thank you kindly. London is a place I love very much . :)

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