His Last Goodbye Poem by Melvina Germain

A kitchen filled with love and the aroma of banana
bread baking, cozy forest green & lemon walls
that meet with the traditional black and white tile,
a checkerboard floor which created a hop scotch
imagination, that was Granma Greens Kitchen.

My cousins and I played and laughter filled the room.
.In the midst of that laughter we heard noise at stairs end,
and a deep base voice laughing heartily as he took each
step. We all became excited in anticipation of playing
with Leonard Grinnage, a tall blue black man, with
satin pearly white teeth, and a smile that covered his
face with eyes that glittered like the stars from the
heavens above. My grandmother looked on with great
concern for she knew what was about to take place.
She greeted our visitor who often dropped by without
an invitation of course. Within moments, we sat on
his lap and climbed on his back and he held us in his
arms, and he laughed and laughed that deep tone
laugh, oh I remember it well. Granma smiled and
was happy for us, for she saw the joy in our faces, but
soon she would call us one by one to wash and get
ready for bed. I remember her talking quietly to
our friend Leonard Grinnage and he bid her good-by,
a quiet good-bye so different than before, and when I
came to get my hug good night, I saw her look toward
the door, with eyes sad and torn, not like the goodbyes
in the past.

I remember too, early the next morning, I know now it
was 6: am, the telephone rang and I picked it up and
the voice on the other end softly said, tell your granma
very quietly, Leonard Grinnage died during the
night and I placed the receiver down and walked
to granma and granpa's room, my granma was looking
very sad and she nodded as if she knew. As I started to
give her the news her voice was loud and clear and she
wailed and wailed, which pierced right through the air.I
stood there not knowing what to do to help my granma
through her pain, and I bowed my head in sadness and
returned to my room. It was then I realized that death

was a painful time and that tall and very handsome man
with laughter deep within his soul. He visited us the
night before to bid his last goodbye.

Written by: Melvina Germain
Date: Oct.18,2008