Outside with Mutti
written by: Carl “Papa” Palmer
Haus Maria Frieden Seniorenheim
Schweinfurt. Germany
Judy w/Mom
Sitting in her wheelchair
looking out the window
of her hospice room
she smiles as I say “Hi.
How is my best Mom today?”
Take me outside before it rains,
lately the first thing she says,
sometimes in English,
sometimes in German,
even if it’s pouring down.
But today it’s not, it’s May.
It’s Mother’s Day.
Four park benches circle the fountain,
city sounds silenced by its waterfall.
Seated serenely tethered in her chair
twirling the tiny maple leaf I gave her,
me on the bench beside her twirling mine.
I wonder what she’s thinking today,
wonder if in thirty years
I’ll be in a Hospice wheelchair
with my daughter by a fountain.
Too soon it’s time for me to go.
Mutti says from inside my hug
the last thing she always says,
Ich liebe dich, Mein Maedele.
“I love you too, Mom.
Herrlichkeit Muttertag
Happy Mother’s Day”
PAPA’s MOTTO: Long Weekends Forever!
- Maestro - August 6, 2024
- Outside with Mutti - May 12, 2024
- A Simple Joy - February 4, 2024
