A Gift By Jenna Faulconer

I bought a tablecloth

For my Grandma “Nanny”

It was made in a lace shop

In Venice

It had flowers along the edges

And flowers in the middle

When she saw it

Her eyes lit up

As she did a little hop

And baby claps

She hugged me

And I hugged her

As she said “Thank You”

Repeatedly

And now

Every time I walk in

The dining room

I see the tablecloth

Under the glass to keep it clean

And every time

I tell her

How good it looks

And she

Smiles

Grammy She and I sit on the couch The blue, soft couch As we wait our turn For wii bowling. I step up, pride filling me up. I roll my ball STRIKE! I give Grammy a High-five, As she steps up to the screen. CRASH! We both switch back and forth As we make our way through The ten frames. We are tied Neck and neck As I hold My final ball. I swing the remote through the air. STRIKE!

I sit back down as Grammy uses her last ball. CRASH! A turkey. She has won yet again. Brenden Stakem

Grandpa and I stare at it…

Blue and oily

It stares straight back at us

Pleading to be returned to

the blue gray ocean

We just stare

Its eyes are full of terror

Life is at stake

Life, life, life

We lift it

My grandpa and I

We debate what to do with it

Of course my grandpa,

Loving seafood wants to eat it

But I feel we should let it go

And so we do

Its heart speeds up

Blood pumps to its tail

And its away

Away

Away

Away

Into the stormy

Blue grey

Sea.

Fishin’ with Grandpa

Ben

Today we visited Grandma’s house

All of the family,

Together

It is not like our house

It is smaller

As it only needs space for one lady

But this one lady

Has enough personality

For ten people

She has a huge garden

That she takes care of every single day

Everyone who stops at her house

Notices the garden

She has so many cookies

That if you ate them all

You would explode

Her bubbly personality

Makes her very fun to be with

And best of all…

She lives next to a lake

Where we

Swim

Fish

Picnic

My grandma

Is one of the best

Most awesome

Incredible

Active people

I know

G

R

A

N

D

M

A

Ben

“Go help your grandfather,” my mom says. So I do. I make the long trek down the hillside And spot him at the fruit trees. He’s bending down to reach The fallen fruit And placing them in handmade wicker baskets. I decide to choose the Harder task And pick one up, Lugging the basket up the steep hill That seemed so friendly Five minutes ago. When I come back down, There are more baskets waiting for me. So I make the trip Again And again And again. When finally there is no more fruit left For him to pick Or for me to carry We each take a freshly washed one And sink our teeth Into its juicy flesh, Juice runs down the sides of our mouths. “Is it good?” he asks. I nod.

Grandfather

-Caroline Yi

Bow and Arrow I pull the string back Look down the shaft

Of the arrow And let go

It makes a funny sound

Like a “thwick” As it sinks its

Metal head into

The foam target that is Probably ten years old

My grandpa made This bow when he was little

I repeat the process until My fingers are red and

Blistered

But I had a Good time shooting

And spending time with my grandpa

Matt Dixon

Nanny

I step up the stairs and onto the porch. A cat food plate lies in my way, so I move it and knock on the door. I hear Nanny rise and make her way toward me. She opens it and says, “It’s about time you came to see me again,” and gives me a hug, laughing all the while. I slip into a chair and Molly, Nanny’s cat, hops in my lap. Then her oldest cat, Pretty Boy, lumbers in meowing because he knows he’s probably my favorite, and as always, “Sweet Pea” as she calls him, runs away at full speed. That cat hates me, and I don’t know why. But at this point, I’m not too fond of him either.

Nanny asks me how I am and how school is. I answer, and so begins a conversation that may very easily blossom into a three hour talk. But instead, she asks me if I want to go to lunch with her and her friends in Charlottesville. So of course, I say yes. I love taking field trips with her. Nanny loves to help me out with anything that she can like my trip to New York and Italy, and she is always up for shopping. She is very generous, loving, and caring. I love you Nanny!

Love, Taylor

The Traveler

Dad says Grandma was in the FBI. She was a secretary, and met president Hoover. She was at the first meeting Of the National Garden Club. She entered flowers Into competitions. She traveled The world. Every Continent, Many countries. China, Japan, Egypt, England, And New Zealand, Just to name a few. She has lived a full life She was a good mother, A good wife, And Still, After 91 years, Continues to be A good person And that’s what matters most Elanra Dulaney

There are six kids

Considered “cousins”

In my family.

There are only four places

At the round wood table

In the yellow kitchen,

Whose walls are

Embellished in embroidery.

I am one of the four

Who have gained and kept

A place at the sacred table.

Of course, after years,

It loses its importance,

And the adult table

Becomes all the rage.

Why are we,

Recently becoming

Legitimate teens,

Made to sit with the two

Nine-year-old devils.

We must get up to get

Our macaroni,

And we are supervised

As we sneak rolls.

The fourteen-year-old

Graduated to the adult table,

And now he sits next to the

Queen.

We all share a grandma,

Who we might find sarcastic,

And very funny,

Who claimed a throne

At the head of the table.

She has decided who is worthy

To still reside at

The little-kid table.

She passes the macaroni

She made,

And the Chesapeake crab cakes,

And we gobble it down.

Delicious.

But I don’t eat the carrot Jello

She made.

I butter my roll,

Toss green beans on a plate,

And plop down in my chair,

At the little-kid table.

The Little-Kid Table

Grandma

A simple life, she says

I used to believe it

But this amazing woman

Shows more of her “simple” life

As I grow older.

A fairy tale is what she has

Grew up in Malta

A catholic orphanage

14 brothers and sisters

A rebel child, knowing

Her patience was not enough to be a nun

Or work in a factory

At 18 she ran to Australia

Lived in the sun and sand

My grandfather

In the Vietnam War

On leave

Went to Australia

Buddies and he went to the beach

Split the girls

My grandfather gave $20 dollars to a friend

To switch dates

At the time, he didn’t know that

Would be the start of a

Priceless marriage

He left again

He came back though

Got married and shipped her off to

Illinois

She, a wild, fun, rebellious 18 year old

Was a surprise to his parents;

Strict Lutheran farmers.

She managed

She had my dad and aunt

She became

A caring mother and wife

A role model

I’ve grown up thinking I have the best grandma ever.

I know I do.

Skyler

Grandparents

They strive for their grandchildren to call them a creative,

one of a kind name,

embarrassing or not

They yearn for all the pictures on the mantle to be of them and their grandchildren

They laugh at whatever crazy knock-knock joke that their grandchildren tell them,

whether it makes sense or not

They listen to whatever their grandchildren have to say, gibberish or not

They want to have a great connection with each one

They encourage their grandchildren to shoot for the stars

They have special traditions they do with each grandchild

They tell their grandchildren amazing stories

They give their grandchildren special treats

They set examples for their grandchildren

Grandparents are always there for their grandchildren

Sometimes I wonder how to repay them, but in the end I realized, their reward is seeing us happy

Alden Carter