Grandpa--By Jennifer Criss--United States

Grandpa

When she lovingly held your face

in her hands and cried,

“I’m not ready!”

I realized in that moment

I wasn’t either.

We crowded your bedside and watched

as you took your last breath

I realized in that moment

that it was too late for you

to answer the questions I never asked

or relay the stories I hadn’t realized

I wanted to know

I realized in that moment

as the life left your eyes

how fleeting life is and how

little time we truly have

Jennifer Criss graduated from Ball State University with a minor in Creative Writing, a lifelong passion.  She is currently collaborating on an anthology for older adults and helps lead a writing support group. Jennifer writes mostly short stories but has discovered a love for writing poetry.  Her poetry has been published in Poebita Magazine. She now works at Ball State, is a busy mother of two girls and her pen keeps moving. She is an editorial assistant with Indiana Voice Journal.