When she walks into a store or a party

Her royal demeanor makes most heads turn

A small, slight lady, frail and gentle

With a softness that seems to forever grace unfurl

I remember that time now long past and gone

When a holy terror she had seemed to us all

A stern look or a raised voice often seemed to fill

All three of us with anxiety and appall

Her days were often filled with work and grind

Our extended family occupied most of her time

And although this lady hadn’t studied much at all

She seemed to hold her own with one and all

A simple housewife with simple needs

And yet there lurked within a blazing fire indeed

For after the chores of the day were done and spent

To watch the gliders skim the skies, she often went

To soar like the birds she took up flying,

To swim like a fish, she endlessly swam the pool

Every exhilarating thing, this simple modest lady

Wanted to learn for herself and experience anew

A heart more generous and large I have yet to see

Or an essence more sweet and forgiving

From her I have tried to learn a lesson that

This life is simply for living and giving

Born to a humble home she was, but with dreams

That encompassed the world far and wide,

My mother often found her private space for herself

And generously gave us all ours in good time

To love but smother not, is her lesson most true

Be there for All, but never force yourself upon too

I do not know if anything from her I have yet learnt

But this I do know, that she just is truly a Rare One!