Grandmother Said

"Find yourself a good ole American boy,
With bright young eyes and nice hair,
Who is tall and broad-shouldered,
Believes in the Lord and would never swear."

These are the words my grandmother says
In an effort to control all which she can
Her personality flaws glaring with every word
As she tries to find me her perfect man

Every mistake she made when she was young
Reiterated each time I made mention of you
"That blood is bad, mean as a stripe-ed snake,
That man will leave you up and out of the blue,"

I could shoot back pretty words, elaborate poetry,
"I believe in true love, I believe he's a good man, just you wait,"
The usual "well, you'll see" echoed in my mind,
Critique morphs into doubt, and left me in a broken state,

Irony is it's own form of justice, though heartless,
"He'll leave you for one of his own, trust me, you'll see,"
I can picture her pretty eyes, small face, and dark hair,
Faith shattered, and he was saying "you don't know me,"

One bad day will not ruin my whole life,
I'm not that woman who crashed her chariot of dreams,
Over a single rut in the road of life's journey
No turning back for broken hearts, no matter how sad it seems,

Regrets are always lined with hope
And there are things taught by lost love,
But I know all grandmother said isn't true,
Instead, in dark times, I pray this to God above:

"I want a respectful, adventuresome boy,
With sparkling dark eyes and a creative mind,
No concern for height if he's sincere,
Believes in Your promise, is both faithful and kind."


-A.K.