I Wants a Piece of Calico.....

Nanny and her girls in Newport News 2007

After getting up this morning to see the snow falling and making the necessary arrangements to cancel the morning classes , I brought my coffee back to bed to read and meditate before jumping into this 'snow day.'  

Nanny at her 100th Birthday Celebration (2006)

I began thinking of Nanny today, the third anniversary of her death, and the many memories, even little things, like her recitation of her favorite silly poem.  When we "played school" we would practice it all the time. When you think about it,  memorizing (especially a poem) is really a lost art.   I mean who memorizes anything these days with the internet at your fingertips and in your pocket?  

Believe it or not I can still recite almost the entire thing, and some days I can't even remember what I had for breakfast!  I even made mention of it in the piece I wrote for her funeral mass (see my original post ) 

So this morning I pulled out my very worn copy of the poem to share, written on yellow legal paper in pencil in Nanny's beautiful Catholic school penmanship.  

There are much bigger memories and momentous occasions, but sometimes it's the littlest things that stick with you.

Mattie's Wants and Wishes

I wants a piece of Calico

To make my doll a dress

I doesn't want a big piece

A yard will do I guess

I wish you'd fred my needle

and find my fimble too

I have such heaps of sewing

I don't know what to do

My Hepsie tord her apron

In tumbling down the stairs

An' Caesar lost his pantaloons

He needs a nuzzer pair

My Maude must have a bonnet

She hasn't none at all

Fred must have a jacket

His ozzer one's too small

I want to go to Grandma's 

You promised me I might

I know she'd like to see me 

I wants to go tonight

She lets me wipe the dishes

And look in Grandpa's watch

I wish I had a penny

To buy some butterscotch

I need some newer mittens

I wish you'd knit me some

My fingers alomost freezes

They leak so at the fum

I wore them out last summer

Pullin' George's sled

I wish you wouldn't laugh so

It hurts me in the head

I wish I had a cookie 

I'm hungry as can be

If you haven't got a large one

You'd better bring me free

I wish I had a piano

Won't you buy me one to keep

Oh dear I'm so tired

I wants to go to sleep