Grandma Jelinek's Featherbed

~

~

A thick, fluffy cloud I remember,

a bank of down--temptation too strong,

unexcelled luxury tempting me, calling me--

Pleasant experiences to my memory belong.

No one could make the bed like Aunt Mary.

She was very fussy about how it was done--

not just a chore, but artistic achievement;

the finished product was second to none.

First the bedclothes were all removed,

the bed was thoroughly aired;

it was shaken, turned over and shaken again,

not one little bit was spared.

Shaken until it was fluffy and light,

like meringue on one of her pies,

she pounded, punched, patted and smoothed,

maneuvered each feather 'til t'was right in her eyes.

Then very carefully over the mound

the sheets and the quilt were spread;

the bed was tucked in all around

and pillow piled up 'gainst the head.

The pretty pink spread left it looking

like a giant frosty cream puff.

The unpardonable sin was to sit on the bed

or to dent that flawless fluff.

I'd look with admiration

at her finished masterpiece

and wish I could bounce in its billowy depth

and sink in that perfect fleece.

Aunt Mary's been gone now for many years--

the feather bed?...Who knows where?

It's likely the feathers into pillows were made

as my memories into stories to share.

~

Grandma Jelinek's Great-Granddaughter Barbara Jean Dennis

specifically drew the above picture

for Grandma Sanders' Purple Patches chapbook