Reflections Poem by Linda Racaniello

I'm no longer young and carefree,
my body is riddled with pain.
I look down at the ground
at a young reflection in the rain.

I ache to bend and touch her,
but she always vanishes away.
I miss the body of that girl
who could run and play.

In my mind I see that girl,
but know she's out of reach.
It was me who ran at the waters edge
and skipped right down the beach.

I have lived a rich full life
and don't have many complaints.
In my mind is a blank canvas,
and my memories are the paint.

I've grown into a woman,
and have a thicker skin.
My face has the lines & wrinkles,
of the places that I've been.

The reflection I now see in the rain,
takes the shape of my mother's face.
I can accept that I've grown older
and life's no longer just a race.

Then I think of my grandma,
and the closeness that we shared.
I know she's safe in heaven,
so of dying I'm not scared.

One day we will be together;
a grandma and her grand-daughter,
holding hands while walking
on the beach next to the water.