| Author | Date Entered/Modified | Views |
| Daniel A. Stafford | 7/6/2000 4:04:17 AM 10/2/2020 8:46:13 AM | 726 |
Independence & Remembrance
It's just a little boy's memory of one of those things summer is,
A night in July when customs and thoughts and memories are his.
One of those special things that made my grandfather unique,
So on that note I'll give you a peek,
I used to play at his feet and soak up the affection.
Fireflies dancing in the air, fireworks glow and bang over there,
Warm breezes and a radio in the garage, mosquitoes you have to dodge,
Big door open and an evening's delight, King Edward cigars he'd always light.
The scent of cigar smoke on the wind.
A kind ghost from my past, one of those great things that just can't last,
Him and my grandma lived the American Dream.
Came over in the twenties on boats at sea, from Italia and Sicily.
She could out cook a kitchen angel, even the old Italians will tell.
Lawn chair out just past the door, sitting there with a glowing cigar.
I could swear he was sitting there with me,
And I could remember everything quite clearly.
He passed while I was away, boot camp at seventeen,
And he was something I'm glad to have seen.
A hard working Italian gentleman.
As I recreate a scene from my youth,
Sitting there smoking by the garage in truth,
I could swear he was there sitting with me,
Together in heart we'll always be.
And she says now I'm smoking those darn things, too.
Just a bit of smoke in my eye, that's why.
AquarianM
By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C) 07/06/2000
Author's Comments
My Mom was adopted by an Italian couple. When we were tiny kids we started calling them Noni & Nono. Now they hold those sacred titles forever. Gino and Sadie's legacy. I remember running down in front of the factory where my grandfather spent 44 years of his life and greeting him with my grandmother.....the tall iron fence and the smiles.
| Author | Date Entered/Modified | Views |
| Daniel A. Stafford | 7/6/2000 4:04:17 AM 10/2/2020 8:46:13 AM | 726 |
| Author | Web | |
| Daniel A. Stafford | aqmstaffo@mailbag.com | www.mailbag.com/users/aqmstaffo/index.html |