The Biggest Change

The conversation
never stops
How bad the weather's got
the way that summer's not
a little boy's freedom to roam
I still miss Grandma's chocolate waffles
the sweetest toffee apples
skipping happy all the way home
Grandpa drove a pony and trap
shot rabbits in the field out back
At school girls couldn't wear pants
and on Sunday's God said
you couldn't play gin lest the Devil walked in
to dirty your hands
We shared the phone line with a neighbor
the only jam came in a jar
Dad's car the only traffic on our street
I hated bony herrings for Friday tea
cabbage boiled for hours to make it sweet
and a teaspoon of sennapods
waiting cold for those who wouldn't eat
Funerals weddings christenings
reflect the real speed of things
though now change comes so fast
I barely notice until the mirror screams
but hospital chairs feel harder
young folks seem scared sometimes
just saying hello
and so the biggest change
must be me