An Elegant Cane - Magpie Tale #11 - Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Elegant Cane

Granny smelled of lavender,

And always dressed in lace,

She wore the reddest lipstick,

Clown circles graced her face.

She held her back ramrod straight,

And always seemed so nice,

But her silver topped ebony cane,

Was a torturing device.

When I was just a toddler,

I soon learned to beware,

The cane extended Grandma's reach,

To almost everywhere.

At first, she was more gentle,

Just tapping when I'd sin,

Touching precious heirlooms,

Making her treasures spin.

Many times, I would recall,

Howling out in pain,

She would pin my wayward foot,

"Don't make that mistake again!"

Whenever we would visit,

I thought I did my best,

To be a model grandson,

Grandma was not impressed!

For any small infraction,

Out would come the cane,

"Spare the rod, spoil the child,"

Echoed the refrain.

She finally stopped the beatings,

When I broke the cane in two,

Until that day came to pass,

My parents never knew.

Carmen Henesy

Copyright (c) 2010 by Carmen Henesy

All rights reserved

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