By 1945 the depression had passed, but there was still much dire poverty. My grandfather, Louis tried in vain to support his wife and seven children by hiring on as a farm hand. There were other problems as well, and he was away from home for weeks at a time. Eventually my grandmother, alone and desperate to find a way to feed, clothe and educate her children, answered a newspaper ad for domestic help…
I loved my husband. I loved him,
But I had to have a job.
After all, Louis just couldn’t provide,
And my children didn’t even have shoes.
I couldn’t abide housework. I hated it.
But I had to have a job.
After all Louis was gone so much,
And Eli was so generous and good to me.
My children deserved a better life. I was terrified’
But I had to have this job.
After all, Eli was strong and tender and kind
And lonely and his poor children needed a mother
I was never certain it was right
But I had to hold this job.
After all, Eli vowed to care for me
And at least our children would have shoes.
YOU ARE READING
Poems About my Grandma
PoetryWhat a life! What a woman! She was born in Montana in 1910. Her mother had mental problems and she was taken in by a Canadian family in 1913. She spent the next thirteen years on the Saskatchewan prairies. At 16, she was forced to return to her bi...
