the loss of a beloved aunt

there is an olde african proverb
"when an elder dies a library burns down"

eye
lost one of my favorite human beings & klass-act blood-kin
aunts today

eye think about
how often.... all we have left
are the dearly departed ....final departing words
as if we don't realize
how close mary was to leaving the earthly plane
we shared a kiss & a hug & eye love you
and then one walks away carrying their last-lingering -look
buried deep inside the lump in our voice & throat

all those thousands of words spoken to each other
countless x-mas dinners & thanxsgiving feasts
a hundred meals shared at her table
talks on religion & politics & family stories resurrected

as a child eye always remember a present stuffed under her x-mas tree
with my name tattooed on it
even though our parents stopped drawing names

anytime day or night her front door was open for me
a place to sleep
a place to sit
or grab something out of the frig to drink or eat

she prayed the rosary so many times
that she became the prayers on the rosary
her hail marys heralded a mary full of grace

her sister was my mother
they were like the same polarities of a magnet
that repealed each other
they had so much in common that it was impossible to share
each others nearly mc dermott identical love

it has been said "one should never argue with a woman"
but one should never ever ever disagree with an aunt
especially when they were part of your nurturing & upbringing
snatching one out of harm's way
helping patch you up from childhood bumps&bruises

we never met without anointing each other with a kiss
even if it was to travel half way across a room
kissing her was like kissing the my mother's twin

her 9 grownup adult children
have always been like my brothers & sisters
no matter how many days/months/years have past
we can always connect like we were together yesterday
any past difference was always forgotten & forgiven

she had a spiritual connection with the 10 commandments
she once mentioned to me of putting them up in her front lawn
and i asked her which they were going to face
and she said "there was only one way they could face
towards the people driving by .....that needed to read them"
i said "there were really three possibilities.....
they could face away from the house
they could directly at the house
or they could face both ways"
she had planted them in the front yard facing the public

aunt mary jean was a antique wheeler-dealer with a gift of gab
she was a full grown female irish leprechaun
who liked & loved to feed the multitudes
who attended all family gatherings & births/weddings/funerals
the photographer in residence
who stole your heart & gave you compassion & kindness in return
who made you feel her home was your home

the queen of wellington east fourth street has left us
with beautiful & precious memories galore
a proud lady who never backed down from any controversy
even if it meant .....she had to stand alone
she was the true mayor extraordinaire of the city eye call waterloo
always standing up for the people who felt unrepresented
on both sides of the tracks

we love you sweetie.............with those betty grable legs...........ava gardner face
& occasional scarlet o'hara disposition

may you get a free pass through purgatory.........
from the thousands of indulgences& rosaries recited daily

michaelandorf