Heidi Mulligan - Children's Author: Farewell

Heidi Mulligan - Children's Author: Farewell: I see luscious, green pines They are regal, straight and tall. But I know that soon it will be another, Who will sit and admire the bea...

Farewell

I see luscious, green pines

Standing like soldiers, straight and tall.
But it will soon be another,
Who will sit and admire the beauty of it all.

I gaze at the trees, regal and beautiful.

Dressed in dainty white flowers, fragile and small.
And I know that another,
Will sit here to enjoy their beauty, when I am here no more.

As I farewell this garden,

I marvel at how it has grown.
But at the end of this summer,
I know that it will be another,
That will cherish this garden as their own.

It is balmy and warm,

And the bees and buzz lazily by.
But as this summer draws to an end,
I will gift these beauties to another.
And they shall cherish this garden as their own.

I hear the water fountain.

It bubbles and gurgles lazily without a care.
But soon this serenity will belong to another.
For them to cherish when I am no longer here.

I see the tiniest birds flitting by.

As I sit and sip a lazy red wine.
And I know that this will soon be gone.
For another awaits to move in, to enjoy this garden of mine.

The music, it drifts lazily across the garden,

The melancholy strains float towards me, gentle and soothing,
But soon another will sit amid this serenity,
And enjoy all that this magical garden can bring.

I greedily drink in each sight, sound and smell.

So the memory will not fade.
For soon it will be a picture that only I can see,
And it will be another who will stand, where I stood today.

The call is becoming increasingly insistent now.
And I will preserve these memories, deep inside my mind.
Of how I lived here contently,
Amongst this graceful sanctuary of mine.

I will leave this land that I have called home.

And I will look to the young, upturned faces that await.
Filled with innocence and grace,
With anticipation shining in every face.

 I will enjoy their animated cries of delight.

And be part of their lives, lived simply and true
They are my collection of rare, exquisite blooms,
And as their numbers grow, so my resolve is renewed.

I will say farewell to this corner of the world.

For it is time to heed those that ask after me.
It is time to enjoy their uniqueness,
A time to cherish and nurture them delicately.

I know not where my future garden lies,

But I know that I will be just fine.
Because the little ones are calling.
They ask where it is that I have gone?

And as their voices grow increasingly loud.

The urgency rises to a deafening crescendo.
I can not, and will not stem their cries for me.
I will gently close the gate for the very last time.

And I know it is because I am coming home.
Where I will cherish a new garden
One that once again, I can call my very own.

My Gran is a FIFO Gran

Poppa Joe said my Gran is a FIFO Gran.
And when I asked him, "Why?"
He said, "Because she always flies in and flies back out when she comes to visit."

But I think Gran lives at the airport.
Because that is where we go to pick her up.
But daddy says Gran doesn't live at the airport,
She lives in country called Australia.

Australia is far away and we can't wait for Gran to visit.
She always comes with lots of luggage,
And my daddy has to fit it all in the car.
But she doesn't mind.
She winks and says it's because she has something for us.

When she gets to our house,
She sits and reads to me
Sometimes its the same book over and over again.
But she doesn't mind.

Mummy said, " Gran wins a prize for reading a book one thousand times."
But I know Gran didn't really read the book to me a thousand times,
Just a lot.
Because she doesn't mind.

She reads me bedtime stories,
Sometimes I pick a book with a hundred words.
And she reads it to me and doesn't skip any of the pages,
Because she doesn't mind.

She helps build towers and we work on puzzles together,
Over and over again I break them.
And she helps me build them back up.
Because she doesn't mind.

She brings coloured pens and loves to draw with me.
Sometimes I get the ink on my  hands and my clothes,
She doesn't mind. "It'll wash out", she says.

I watch her in the morning and she lets me use her brush and her cream,
And when I'm scared of the noise the blow drier makes,
She doesn't mind.
She shows me how it works and blows warm air on my feet.

She helps me to get dressed when it gets too difficult for me,
She says, "Can Gran help?"
She doesn't mind, she likes to help.

She sits in the back with me in the car,
Even though its very squishy.
But she doesn't mind.

If I ask nicely, she plays outside with me.
But sometimes it's raining and cold.
So she gets her coat,
Because she doesn't mind.

But best of all my Gran gives me cuddles.
And when I am full of germs and my nose is running,
She hugs me tight and plants kisses on my face,
Because she doesn't mind.

Finally the day comes when Gran must go home,
There are tears and I feel sad that she has to go.
Gran is sad too!
But she says, "Don't be sad, I'll be back real soon."

I make her a beautiful picture to take home with her,
And she lays it carefully in her bag.
Her clothes are crumpled,
But she doesn't mind.
She says my picture is safe and that's all that matters.

It is time for Gran to go.
She is waving madly as she drives away,
And I run along side her and I wave until she is gone.
I am sad but I don't mind,
Because I know I'll see her again real soon.