Ode to Grandpa

I'll always remember the big yellow house
    where Grandma and Grandpa lived
With it's many room and stairs and
    wide front porch
I'll always remember the room where
    I stayed
With the May pipes covered with
    pretty paper and tiny umbrellas
I recall so clearly the purple room
    winding stair and the man
        who lived there

The sidewalks we rode our tricycles on
I remember the hedge along the side
    where we used to hide, some big
        fish lived there in a pool
How on warm summer nights we'd have
    ice cream sodas at the bar
I remember the glasses that we used

I remember the playroom with the
    big stair were we put on shows
Big Debbie Doll, with her blue dress
    and dark hair

I recall a big cowboy chair

I can almost see the design and can
    feel the arms made of wood
I also remember a certain scent
    I associate with Grandpa
Of when he'd come home from work and
    give me the biggest hug and kiss
And how he smelled after he'd been
    home awhile and we'd sit
perhaps in the cowboy chair
    how comfortable his lap always was.
Not so big you got lost in it or hard
    and bony... just right
And as the years go by

I'll always remember
the way
he'd say
"How's Grandpa's girl today?"

(to Grandpa Hankins)