Another Visit With Rowan opus 978
| 7 November 2026 1240 Hours | | Family, Aging, Behavior, Communication, Education, Grandson, Linguistics, Memories, Relationship, Youth |
Rowan, my grandson, is now six as of 6 August.
He and Pierre, his father and my son, came on Saturday,
But because it was so hot (100 degrees), they arrived at 6 PM.
I had hamburgers from our last cow all thawed and ready.
We sat, as usual, under the pine tree (my Mother's potted Christmas tree)
Now 30 feet tall. Our table and chairs were under this tree by the pond.
Pierre started grilling the meat in the cooling evening.
Rowan had not brought his scooter or bicycle,
So he actually sat and talked with us.
We somehow got onto numbers, so we counted,
But not in English, but Turkish (I lived there),
Followed by French, German, and some Spanish.
Rowan seemed to quite enjoy it, reciting several rounds.
One to five in Turkish: bir, iki, uch, dort, bes (sh).
The sounds were new and strange, but fun--he liked Turkish.
We finished the meal. They went off to camp in their car,
And I went inside the house to write.
The next morning we were up for a late breakfast of Pierre's pancakes.
As we sat down by the pond, Rowan suddenly blurted out
Bir, iki, uch, dort, bes (sh), with a big grin!
He knew it especially pleased me, which it did!
We went over numbers, homing in on German,
Which I explained, were similar, being in the same language family.
The conversation, then continued on to writing.
Rowan knew I had self-published several (24) books of poetry.
He is learning to read and has started writing.
Rowan explained how he had made some pages,
Which he folded just right to fit in his pocket.
I then showed him how I always carried a pen,
Tucked into my shirt collar, so as not to break it in my pocket.
He had seen that often, but it was specifically pointed out that morning.
The time passed and Rowan had soccer,
So they packed up, chatted a bit, and hugged goodbye.
Oh, we also said goodbye in a few languages!
I was left with a nice feeling and yet more memories.
The next day, Monday, Pierre called me as usual
On his way to work and with a laugh,
Explained to me that Rowan came out of his room,
Wearing and pointing out that he had a pen tucked into his shirt,
Just like PaPa Frank always did.
They had a laugh and I certainly did,
Upon hearing the tale from Pierre.
Rowan is starting to really imitate,
Which gives me a real kick, even as I grow old!