When I am a Grandmother

When I am a Grandmother I shall have a purple sling
And carry my grandbabies around the block and to the market.
I shall adorn my fingers with amethysts, my feet with shoes of fuchsia,
And wear a pale pink hat with cabbage roses.

We shall play dress-up with plastic pop-beads and pearls from Japan,
And I shall be the Queen of Old.
We shall ride in a purple convertible to go to the zoo
Where we will make the monkeys laugh and dance in the fountain.

We will have dinners of popcorn and peanut butter ice cream
With chocolate chip cookie dough for dessert.
And I shall grow an ample bosom and not worry about calories or carbohydrates or cholesterol.
I shall sit on the floor playing Barbies and Legos and Monopoly,
And read them Bible stories and books about Narnia by candlelight
While snuggling in the fort under the dining room table.
We will stay up late watching old movies,
And they will fall asleep on the futon in the basement
Where I will watch them tenderly and pray that they love Jesus.

I have taught my children about birthing and breastfeeding and attachment parenting,
So they will not be a bit surprised to find
That when I am a Grandmother I shall have a purple sling,
And wear my grandbabies close to my heart.

© Jan Renich Barger, 1999

Reprinted with permission from the author.