When I was young I didn't want
To use old silverware.
Such a bother! Who had time?
Who could even care?

Life was today, and that old stuff
Was really out of date.
I had lots of things to do,
Always running, always late.

And time went on. Then Mama died.
Her silver came to me.
I shoved the chest under the bed.
Out of sight, out of mind, you see.

On holidays I drug it out.
The polishing made me groan.
And time went on. Then I got ill,
With time to think alone.

The months of pain, the helplessness,
Near death--I lived it through.
I suffered chemo, but could I whine
When children were suffering it, too?

When I got well, I found a joy
In the most amazing things:
The wonder of flowers, the kiss of rain,
The thrill that a rainbow brings.

And even more astounding,
I pulled laughter down off a shelf,
I gathered jokes to pass around,
And I learned to laugh at myself.

And right along about that time
I began to touch with care
Those grand old forks and spoons and knives--
Mama's silverware.

And every time I brought it out,
I saw as plain as day
How Mama smiled when she received it
On her wedding day.

And all the dinners and all the tables
That silver had been a guest
Just blended there with my own friends
When I wanted to serve them the best.

Then the polishing became a glow
Of many feasts and years
That old silver had endured
Through laughter and through tears.

How many birthdays, friends now gone,
And Easters, all those springs!
Remembering all those lemon pies
For friends dressed in their finest things.

Thanksgiving dinners--let me see--
Yes, there were quite a few
From Mama's first to just last year--
I think it's 82.

And all the times the gravy spilled,
The family jokes, old stories told,
Lots of photos passed around
Till the meal would be stone cold.

Yet how they tasted wonderful,
The dinners on those days.
I think it was the silverware
Instead of gourmet ways.

It's such a gift, that everydays
Will make a memory
That can be treasured down the years
By folks you'll never see.

Never would I ever dream
That I would learn to care
And look with love on that old stuff--
Mama's silverware.

Verse and Background by Dorothy
Original MIDI "The Dance" by Andy Klapwyk