I Talked to a Lady – Tanya Howden

I talked to a lady yesterday
She didn’t know my name
She was amazed to hear about my past
and the places I had been
Her daughter’s life so similar
filled her with awe and fear
She looked at me bewildered
could this really be real? 

We talked about her family
We talked about her past
We talked about the folk she’d known
Their walk their talk their cheer
The ones who floated through her world
And those who stopped to share
We talked about the future
her hopes her dreams her fears

We talked about her sorrows
All the sadness life threw in
We talked about her children –
(Some things I shouldn’t hear!)
We giggled and cried and laughed
at a life so rich so full
And in a moment shared
sat in silence with our thoughts …
And I whispered “Goodnight Mother”
as her eyes succumbed to dreams.