A Poem About Bubby & Zaidy

By Shulamis Chava Halon

Part One: My Grandparents

My grandparents were coming home from a Bar Mitzvah, when their tire blew up, leaving them with some serious injuries.

I went to visit them every day,
And watching them suffer, oy vey! Oy vey!
Just looking at them would make me cry,
And I would I would ask Hashem: what have they done to deserve this, why?!

Many months passed,
And we thought they would last,
But we kept our hopes too high,
I would not tell a lie.

My grandmother was suffering terribly,
Day and night she lay there paling.

One night we stood watching the Chanukah flames,
We watched them leap into the air, ablaze.

When all of a sudden came a phone call,
And my father rushed out the door,
Explaining nothing at all.

Then my mother called,
she was in the hospital,
she told us to say with my grandmother,
Shema Yisroel.

I stood still as a stone,
Not moving a bone.
I said goodbye,
Then started to cry.

I thought a little bit,
And this came to my mind,
“This might be the last time I’ll see her,
So it’s worth a try.

So I put on my coat,
And ran the whole way,
And when I looked through the window,
What a sight,
Oy vey!

My grandmother, a jewel, was leaving the world,
At us a very strong “stone” was hurled.

I could not bear the look on her face,
It told stories of misery and pain,
And yet, she faced them with grace.

Part Two: What I Learned From My Grandmother

My grandmother, a gem, never did a single bad thing,
And when we were young,
She took us under her wing.

She was tznius and modest
In very way,
And she kept this going,
Night and day.

Never did she scream or yell,
And when she was upset,
You could not tell.

She always had a candy
In her pocketbook,
And she gave it to us,
Noticing her grandchildren,
Whether they were in a corner or nook.

What I learned from her,
Was to be tznius and kind.
And I try to act like her,
If you don’t mind.

Part Three: Memories

We always enjoyed her company,
And whenever it was time for her to go,
My sisters would always cry, “Don’t go bubby!”

On Erev Pesach at her house we ate,
And believe me,
Her food was really great!

For Purim stuffed cabbage she did make,
And always the extras,
To our house we did take.

She was sweet and kind
In every way,
And she did mitzvos,
Every single day.

She went out shopping for us
Some days.
And she did her shopping in some special ways.

She was such a special person,
An angel in disguise.

And for our birthdays,
She always got us a surprise.

On Sundays for she made macaroni and cheese,
And the smell drifted up,
And carried out into the breeze.

Whenever we were sad,
She would make us glad.

Never did she do Ba’al Tashchis,
No siree!
She always finished her food happily.

She was loving and caring
In every way.
She was kind to everyone,
Every single day.

She used to come over on Sundays,
And babysat my sisters in some very special ways.

She was such a tzadaikes
In every way,
That even when she was shaking the carriage,
Tehillim she would say.

We all miss her so,
And yet we know,
That whatever we do,
She will look at us below.

* * * * *

The Shloshim of Nechama bas Yaakov Mordechai Wilansky, wife of Rabbi Shea Wilansky, will take place Thursday Rosh Chodesh Shvat, January 6, 2011, at the Shul of Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, 585 Scenectady av., 7:30 P.M.