"Grandpa's here!"
Those two words made a little girl
jump to her feet and run
at a pace only bested by
Duke, Grandpa's faithful dog.
But Duke couldn't jump as high,
and Grandpa's arms didn't reach out
to lift him to the sky.
How many hours did he spend
pushing her on swings,
or brushing her flaxen tresses,
telling her all his 'stories,'
confident she was a captive audience?
As the sun would barely peek
over the hill outside Grandpa's window,
he was up having his coffee.
I never did figure out how I knew,
but I would rush out of bed,
and join him at the table.
It was these early morning hours,
that Grandpa was in his element.
Nothing but the birds chirping,
and the ducks waddling up to the house,
waiting patiently for their breakfast.
"Am I in time?" I would ask.
"No, Princess, the fairies are gone."
For years I tried everything
to wake before him, so I too,
could catch a glimpse of the fairies
that danced on Grandpa's lawn
in the last minutes of moonlight.
"Will I ever see them, Grandpa?"
I would say as I snuggled in his lap,
with sleep still in my voice,
and dreams still in my eyes,
dispondent that I had been too late.
"Someday, Princess... someday...
when you have lived long enough,
and know more about life."
The years have long since flown by,
and the little Princess with flaxen hair
grew up and her hero, Grandpa,
left this world, taking with him nothing
but his stories of dancing fairies,
and old Duke, his faithful companion.
One sleepless night, when the Princess
was all grown up, she got up before dawn,
in the last moments of moonlight,
and peering out the window
she thought about Grandpa,
and all he had added to her life.
His great wisdom, his courage, his sense
of warm humor, his love of life.
She had inherited his gentle laughter,
and his sparkling blue eyes.
She had lived long enough to know
great joy, great triumph, and great sorrow.
She had conquered many fears,
developed great faith,
and had never given up her dreams.
Now, there was someone in her life
who raced against the dog,
to jump into her arms at the sound of
"Grammy's here!"
And as she looked out over the lawn,
in the last moments of moonlight,
a gentle movment caught her eyes,
and finally she saw them...
the dancing fairies.
She felt the tug at her nightgown,
and the little girl with raven hair,
rubbed her sparkling blue eyes,
and said,
"Am I in time?"
"No, my little Princess, you're too late."
And I carried her back to bed,
kissing her warm cheek softly.
"Someday, Princess.... someday...
when you have lived long enough,
and know more about life."
I lowered my eyes, and whispered,
"Thank you, Grandpa!"
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