Some Things Never Change

“There’s my girl”

The last words my ears heard

“There’s my girl”

A saying she would say almost every time I walked through the door

Followed by a gentle hug

This time was different

No hug was shared

But a simple brush of her hand on my cheek to say hello

And a tear streaming down my face

We didn’t play the usual card game

Or get some ice cream out to make a milkshake

We didn’t have time to sit and break beans that afternoon underneath the big tree

I even forgot to grab a handful of peppermints that always sat on the counter

The idea of her making biscuits and gravy the next morning for me and dad was not a thought in my mind

A walk down the road the road after a nap didn’t seem appropriate that day

Looking through pictures and listening to stories was difficult as I sat next to her

Seeing her helplessly laying in a bed that wasn’t even hers is not how I will remember my Granny

I will remember her competitive attitude when she would whisper “yahtzee” into the cup of dice

Or how every visit consisted of me reading her one of my new poems

Whenever my dad sings one of her favorite hymns I will be flooded with all our good memories

The day I went to see her, a lot had changed

But as I held her cold and brittle hands 

“There’s my girl”

Something that never changed. 

Some things never change,

Ky Baker

Indiana FFA State Treasure