Can You Hear 'Em&;#063;

Can You Hear 'em?

While in a relaxed mood,
late one evening,
enjoying the warmth of summer,
feeling good,
thinking that life has filled in
a lot of potholes for me.

My thoughts fell upon
The Cornerstones of my life:
The Women of my family.
Long since gone:
Great-grandmother, Grandmother, and Mother.
Wishing I could have made
their lives and struggles a little better.
How each of their philosophies
still embrace me.

Great-grandmother, small and frail
with the same question on her mind:
"What'cha gonn'a make of yourself when you grow up?"

My Grandmother, stern and strong, always in charge.
would always say about people with no vision:
"If it had'a been a snake it would have bitten ya!"

My Mother, free-spirited and street-smart,
Knew the rules, and how to play the game.
She'd say, "Baby! Listen....
What do you hear?"

Me, in my boyish, youthful,
Let-me-get-outside-play mentality:
I fake listening.
"Ma, I don't hear nothing."

She'd say,
"Your Great-grandmother, wore'em.
Your Grandmother held'em, felt them
Me, I've seen'em.
I know what they're about.

You, my son, may not ever wear'em.
You may never feel'em
But, don't you ever forget
the sounds of them chains.

Now,
Can you hear'em?

by Taz
Copyright 2002
Tsunami Productions
http://www.robbdragonhogan.com