My mother sat quietly in the circle,
less and less words each year
but more and more smiles
and twinkles from her eyes.
Laura, my daughter, came with me
to take a spot in the circle.
She got it.
She got the time line and
the echo to Christmases past.
My mother had on her yuletide
earrings and tightly knit sweater.
Her heart warmed by the fibers
and yet even more so
by her descendants.
Her children wrapped around her
like a scarf.
Her children’s children,
the tassels which tickled her.
Laura sat next to me
silent most of the time.
And I wondered if one day
she would be the matron of honor
sitting quietly, smiling, twinkling
like a little star
with my mother’s heart in hers.
Great poem, Jerry. “Like a little star with my mother’s heart in hers,” my favorite line.
oh jerry…this is so heart-warmingly beautiful…love that your mom’s smiles got more even though the words got less and i bet that the spirit of the moment will stay with your daughter