Mrs. Griggs
by Fred Byrnes, Huntington Station

Mrs. Griggs was widowed
for many years
She used evaporated milk
in her morning coffee
Year round she made apple butter
In Spring and Summer,
she put the tiniest breadcrumbs
out on her driveway
for ants and other hungry insects
Mrs. Griggs missed her husband,
she missed FDR
and The Milton Berle Comedy Hour
On Thanksgiving,
she went across town
to her daughter’s
On Christmas,
she went across town
to her son’s
Mrs. Griggs shared fresh jars
of homemade apple butter
with her neighbors
After snowstorms, those neighbors
would shovel out her driveway
even though she didn’t own a car
As they worked,
Mrs. Griggs supplied them
with cups of steaming coffee
Sunday’s never found Mrs. Griggs
in church,
but she firmly believed
in a benevolent God
Mrs. Griggs went to sleep one night
and never woke up
At her wake,
her daughter and son
thought it curious
that people dropped
tiny breadcrumbs into her casket

Haiku
by Joan Payne Kincaid, Sea Cliff

time to close the windows
wind out of the north whispers
winter

Amy’s Journey
by Audrey Krapf (a.k.a. Mom)

The dark cloud appeared, the storm was on its way
She said: “I have no choice, I’ll do whatever it takes”
Never hesitating along the way.

The needles, the cutting, the pain, the nausea and vomiting
Could not permeate the strength of her spirit and soul
Any fears, frustrations, and other emotions
Could not interfere with her role.

She lost her hair, her eyebrows, and eyelashes
Sometimes her rosy cheeks
But she never lost her determination
That was evident whenever she would speak.

She said: “It’s not so bad, really.
I can handle it
It is what it is and I have no choice
So don’t feel bad. I’m okay.

The cloud surrounded all of us, we were devastated, afraid, and sad
But Amy only saw sunlight, she focused only on the good, and never the bad.
She supported the rest of us throughout it, reassuring us all along the way
She rarely complained or showed her emotions, just focused on getting through each day.

She said: It’s not so bad, really. I can handle it
It is what it is and I have no choice
So don’t feel bad. I’m okay.”

The sun is now shining for everyone, as the treatments are reaching an end
But it never stopped shining for Amy
Amazing both family and friends.

She said: “It’s not so bad, really. I can handle it
It is what it is and I have no choice
So don’t feel bad. I’m okay.”

Now when we all hear her say it, we think: “Maybe her words are finally true”
But the reality is they always were for her, even if not for me and you.