“Dear Grandma” by Gabriella Altmanni

Gabriella Altmanni (age 15)

DEAR GRANDMA

When my father came home
I asked him how his day was
Lines on his forehead emerged
Like crossroads
They lined the explanation of his sadness

My Grandmother always quoted her favorite book,
Life Is With People
Yet when her life ended
She left so many behind

My Grandmother was a history teacher
She erased crossroads on the forehead
Of every person she met
When she was diagnosed with cancer for the third time
All the pencils erasers in the world
Could not save her

Dear Grandma,
If you had more time
I could have asked you to teach me history,
But even time
Cannot rewrite yours

from 2015 Rattle Young Poets Anthology

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