The Story Teller

When I was very young I used to walk by this house on my street

Sitting in a rocking chair on the porch was a very old lady

As I walked by and smiled at her she would say hi to me

In my small heart I knew that this nice old lady I wanted to meet

Every day she sat there all dressed in black in that old rocking chair

She had twinkling blue eyes and a smile on her face

As if she was dreaming of a far away place

She looked so gentle and small and as she rocked slowly with care

One day I decided to go up and sit on the stair

Just to talk to her and let her know that I cared

She told me her name and I told her mine with a smile

Every day for over a year we would sit and talk for a while

We have a theatre in town that used to put on shows in the olden days

She was a seamstress and worked on all the costumes for these plays

There wasn’t any television or radio back then for people to listen to

So this theatre was all they talked about and all they had to do

Her eyes would twinkle and she always had a big smile

As she sat on her chair and rocked awhile

When she told me all the stories from her younger years

And sometimes I would notice that some even brought tears

She talked about people that were not known to me

But through her eyes I was beginning to see

How beautiful the woman were in their fancy clothes

As they arrived at the theatre in droves

Man in tuxedos and ladies in long flowing gowns

Lavish hairdos and some even wore crowns

She told me that all came dressed to “the nines”

And that was an old saying from her time

I got to love this small lady sitting in that rocking chair

And sometimes my mom would send lunch and we would share

I learned so much from her about things from the past

Maybe that is why I love to learn history the best

For quite a few years I considered her my best friend

But there came the day that all her stories came to an end

I walked to her house and stopped when I saw a big van

Worried about what was happening to my newfound friend

They were taking things out of the house and I stopped a man

I asked him why he was doing this and if he knew anything about my friend

He shrugged his shoulders as he continued doing his job

I could feel my heart sink and I started to sob

A woman saw me standing there with tears in my eyes

She bent down before me and said please don’t cry

I told her that this lady was my very best friend

And I was afraid I would never see her again

She put her arms around me and held on to me tight

And explained very quietly that my best friend had died last night

How lost I felt inside and my heart hurt

So young to have lost someone of so much worth

My friend always had time for me when ever I came

We would each tell stories and sometimes play a game

I learned about things that happened a long time ago

People and places I would never be able to know

People look at older folks and think they have nothing to say

But with my dear friend, I loved to be with her every day

I miss her now as I am writing this story

But I know that in heaven she is in her glory