grandma & grandpa were married fifty years
and had twelve children
topcoat and hat white lace and roses
grandpa & grandma’s wedding picture
bale of newspapers in the hayshed
grandpa meant to read
grandma’s book on her lap
open at page seven same as yesterday
Tom and Jerry mayhem
grandpa nodding off
grandpa’s banknotes and coins
remember his touch
ambrosia in the kitchen
grandma baking treacle tarts
while the priest spoke Latin
grandma prayed in Gaelic to the Blessed Virgin
grandpa brought home ice-cream
wrapped in a white handkerchief
grandma charmed the summer garden
with witch fingers
grandpa sat up straight for the news
on the wireless at half past one
grandma never said a word to grandpa
when he staggered in Guinness blind
johnpoetflanagan 
More,please.🙏
So kind, Joan
Thank You
Much love
john
Woo, love that gotcha at the end. Terrific descriptions; I feel I’ve read a book about their lives in these few words. Bravo, John!
Laura
Thank You for this fine, encouraging response,
i appreciate it truly.
Much love
john
Good to see your work again, John.
Judy
Thank You very much
Big hugs
john
makes me reflect on my own grandparents…
Yes, and i’m sure they were good people, too
Thank you for responding
Best Wishes
john
You can see a lot when you’re Guinness blind.
Quite so, Malcolm
Thank You
Best always
john
A history in twelve snapshots. It is by the small things that we are remembered. Good stuff, John.
A fine comment, Chris
Thank You
Always
john
Wonderful! Vignettes of old-fashioned love…
Thank You
Dear Gina
Much love
john
grandma never said a word… amen. Hugs, John.
blessings ~ maxi
Lovely comment, Maxi
Thank You so much
Big hugs
john
Twelve sketches that present the lives of “grandma and grandpa” individually yet woven together into one life. Love it, Brother John. I could quote every sketch.
So generous, Brother David
Love to You and Diane
Always
john
Love this Uncle John, their life of 50 years passed as a screening before my eyes. Perfect imagery of grandma and grandpa.
Thank You
Miss Mary
for your wonderful support
Always
uncle john
Left hanging on to the thought of more. Lovely, jf
Generous, warm comment, Audrey
Thank You
Ever
jf
Beautiful! I love every line.
Tori
Thank you so much
i appreciate your words, truly
My best to You
john
I am of that age. These twelve sketches gave me call to revisit those years in my parent’s lives as I did not have but precious little time with my paternal grandfather and none with my maternal grandparents. My mother had a voracious appetite for reading, Pearl Buck, Somerset Maugham, Hemmingway and the Bible. My father on the sofa watching an athletic event on TV with the volume set on annihilate and mother attempting to talk to him and the same time. Looney Tunes events in their last years. Inanely amusing, yet sad. Yes your descriptions are picture perfect John. Thank you for moving me to recall those moments. I forgot to mention, my father was always cold in the latter years of his life. So the thermostat was always set well above seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit and he wore two pairs of thick socks, insulated gloves a hat and jacket to stay warm. It was a sight to behold. Thank you for the warmth and levity of this rendering. Ever your friend, Jon Michael
Superb response
Jon, My Friend
Thoughtful, rich, sensitive
Thank You
i love the story of your parents, love it!
Ever Your Friend
john
Comfortable love. Very restful. Thanks, dear John.
Myra, Friend
Thank You
Much love
john
Love, trust, companion, eternity 🙂
Beautiful response
Dear Indah
Thank You
Always
bapak john
So nicely woven…different pictures and different colours of life… A perfect story… 🙂
Sensitive, warm response
Maniparna
Thank You for the wonderful support
Ever
john
You’ve managed to capture and convey so much here John.
Mark
Thank You very much
Best to You
john
What a wonderful story you tell with your word pictures! But it worried me a little since my husband and I will be married 50 years next year (I was a child bride!).
Thank You, Noelle
No need to worry, you’re doing marvelously, ‘child bride’!
Big hugs
john
A vivid portrayal of a marriage. Two individuals joined together in matrimony yet each retain their own essence. Imagine having the skill to capture 50 years of marriage in ‘a dozen quick sketches’? This union produced a dozen offspring so it certainly had its active moments! I love the image of grandpa sitting up straight for the news at one thirty on the wireless. It ‘chimes’ with the idea of washing one’s face and combing one’s hair before the Angelus bell came on the airwaves. You are such a sensitive wordsmith dear John.
Such warmth and generosity and understanding
in this splendid response
Dear Angela
Always with love
john
fun to meet your people and revisit our own..and those in the comments as a bonus…love the thumbnail sketches would enjoy more forgive my lack of caps and punctuation in rehab from right shoulder surgery……shattered it….
Dear Eileen
i’m so sorry to hear of your shoulder – sending you healing,
tons of healing and love
Thank You, a special THANK YOU
under the difficult circumstances for reading and responding
Much love
john
impressive and emotional… ❤ I think about my parents-in-law(87+85), who have been married for 63 years, have known each other for about 65 years… she's been in a wheel-chair for almost 3 years, he's valid 100%, but he wanted(asked) to be with her at the same medical nursing home… just together – à la vie, à la mort…
Thank You, Melanie, for this fine comment
and for sharing family details..bless You and bless those two good people
Big hugs
john
This is so lovely John. Being of Welsh descent this really resonates with me!
much love to you!
Holly
Thank You, Dear Holly
For your response. The Welsh – how could you go wrong!
Bless You and
Much love
John
Thank you John!
This is how people live when they rely on each other. No drama, no myths.
Best wishes!
Thank You, Inese
Big hugs
john
God bless and rest the dead
beautiful poem
cheering with a Guinness
my best regards
Fais
Such a beautiful, sensitive response, Fais
Thank You
Always
john
Extremely heartwarming and nostalgic and beautifully written John.
Love!
Thank You, Holly
and
Much Love to You
john
Oh how I miss mine but that rite of passage had to be as I am now grampa myself.
Thank You, Carl
for this lovely, warm comment
Best Always
john
Incredibly evocative for so few words, John 🙂
Thank you, Margaret, for the fine praise
and for appreciating the editing.
Big hugs
john
John, you created a rich world with very few words. Hugs.
Teagan
Thank You so much for your generous response.
Big hugs
john
Except for the final ‘sketch’, this was uncannily close to home for me John! Grandpa partook of nothing stronger than black coffee his entire life! This was a stirring recall of blessed observance in years gone by.