Wednesday, October 10, 2012

SWEET MAHOGANY

My Grandpa was a farmer
And a carpenter by trade
There was not a place in Memphis
That didn't house something he'd made

He was a master craftsman
Every piece a work of art
His signature was somewhere
The letter L inside a heart

My Dad would take us to the farm
Every Fall when I was young
We stayed until school began
And the harvesting was done

I would go to Grandpa's shop
Nothing ever smelled so good
He taught me all the wonders
Of a simple piece of wood
 He said...

~~~*Chorus*~~~
This wood is like a woman
When you first fall a tree
It may be rough on the outside
The true beauty's underneath
You bring her home and love her Son
The outer layer strips away
In time you have a masterpiece
Proudly to display
Now I don't discount the Poplar or the Pine
But my Lily's sweet Mahogany
She gets prettier with time
~~*~~

Grandpa went all whimsical
That look entered his eyes
And I listened for the thousandth time
About how he'd claimed his Bride

He'd made a small cedar chest
Took it to the county fair
A young girl fell in love with it
She had daisies in her hair

He was seventeen
A hard working farmer's Son
Had her Southern heart won
By the time the day was done

Their house was full of beauty
Filled with his heirlooms
Crafted deep with love and pride
For his sweet Bride to use
 He said...

~~~*Chorus*~~~
This wood is like a woman
When you first fall a tree
It may be rough on the outside
The true beauty's underneath
You bring her home and love her son
The outer layer strips away
In time you have a masterpiece
Proudly to display
Now I don't discount the Poplar or the Pine
But my Lily's sweet Mahogany
She gets prettier with time
~~*~~

Grandma got sick last summer
Met my Parents at the farm
Went in to see my Grandma
Laying in my Grandpa's arms

She said take care of Grandpa
And the final words she spoke
He will be soft as cedar
But convince you he's an oak

I think about that mighty Oak
And his sweet Mahogany
As my fingers trace the heart
On this crib in the nursery
   
~~~*Chorus repeat*~~~

Teresa Lynn Johnson
Wrdspnr@aol.com
Copyright © 2012  


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