Paul S. Gifford

THE SIMPLE POWER OF WATERMELON

I have just been to visit my father-in-law in hospital.
Well to be honest it is hospice care…
They are simply making him comfortable.
At present times, please understand, he just seems to have bad days or worse ones.
He continually slips in and out from reality… and even his reality isn’t quite real anymore.

The past has mingled with the present,

He speaks of things and people from fifty years ago.
He often forgets who we are.
Heck, he sometimes even forgets who he is.
Today I decided to take along some fresh watermelon,
lovingly and neatly diced upon a plastic plate.
(It has been his favorite since childhood.)
As soon as he saw it he lit up.
His eyes grew wide and a smile washed over his unshaven face.

“Gimme the watermelon Paul!” he demanded.
(He always used to be so very demanding.)
So give it to him I did.
I pulled the table alongside the bed,

handed him a plastic fork,

and let him have at it.
It was an amazing sight!
For those few minutes he lay there chomping away joyfully,
as I dabbed the escaping juice from his chin.

He looked peaceful and contented as he ate.
Yes, for those few, too short, precious moments,

he appeared to forget all about his pain,
and all his sorrow; fear and anguish seemed to simply evaporate.

I am going back tomorrow
with fresh baked buttermilk biscuits…

and some homemade sage sausage gravy.