I Talked To A Lady

By Tanya Howden

I talked to a lady yesterday

She didn’t know my name

She was amazed to hear about my past

and the places I had been

Her daughter’s life so similar

filled her with awe and fear

She looked at me bewildered

could this really be real?

We talked about her family

We talked about her past

We talked about the folk she’d known

Their walk their talk their cheer

The ones who floated through her world

And those who stopped to share

We talked about the future

her hopes her dreams her fears

We talked about her sorrows

All the sadness life threw in

We talked about her children –

(Some things I shouldn’t hear!)

We giggled and cried and laughed

at a life so rich so full

And in a moment shared

sat in silence with our thoughts …

And I whispered “Goodnight Mother”

as her eyes succumbed to dreams

I talked to a lady today

She didn’t know my name

She was amazed to hear about my past

and the places I had been

Her daughter’s life so similar

filled her with awe and fear

She looked at me bewildered