Grandpa's Chair

Mittens on the porch Willys Wagon purrs outside Warming up the engine For a chilly ride Be careful on the bridge Late to Christmas Eve Put a plate of cookies out Cause Grandpa still believes The stove was filled with wood Our cocoa made with love We're trading drowsy songs All the ones you're thinking of Everyone was full Everyone was there As I drifted off to sleep In the arms of grandpa's chair The kids went off to college Flights were all delayed Not as many mouths to feed The goodies we had made We gathered by the fire After Grandpa went to bed He shivered in the cold A watch cap on his head Do you remember every summer? His cookouts by the pool Or how he helped to smuggle Chocolates into school Everyone was full Most of us were there As I drifted off to sleep In the arm of grandpa's chair Now it's time to clean the house It's time to pack the crates We divvy up the heirlooms The closing cannot wait Friends from out of town Cousins at the wake Wish us all the best I need a goddamn break In the hall we stack the boxes Bags along the stair I move some junk and fall into The arms of that old chair We could mothball every item Preserved by napthalene The colors would stay bright and true The fabric always clean But what good is a memory That no one can recall? Is furniture just wood and glue If used by none at all? Now the chair is by the fireplace Warming near the glass The grandkids sing the carols After supper, after mass Those little ones will never know The one who isn't there Safely off to sleep within The arms of grandpa's chair