I HELD YOUR HAND
(Hali Hammer)

In the softened light of dawn from her room she would be gone
Padding through the house, a little girl of five
To your bedroom she would creep, arousing you from sleep
You’d smile as she would cuddle by your side
     Then in the language where your tongue would flow like water through a stream
     So unlike the one you sometimes had to use
     You spun stories of the rabbit, as vivid as a dream
     Till we heard sounds of the family coming to
From my Zaidy, my grandfather, cherished hero of those days
I learned how a hand that trembled could be strong
I learned how a calm intelligence, and quiet gentle ways
Could convey a meaning deep as any song
     Never angry, never scolding, magic hand that I was holding
     Molding me into the person that I am -
     I held your hand - mmm - I held your hand

Age takes away our childhood & replaces it with memories
Some are buried deep, some rise up on demand
Some are blurred to a pastel, and others weather well

Like the silent steady comfort of his hand
I was 19 when the phone alarmed us, forcing us from sleep
We dressed in a haze of unbelief, dismay
And we rushed to your bedside, though we knew that you had died
I knelt by your side, and wept there where you lay
     Thinking back on all the years reflected through a veil of tears
     I stayed as you went off to another land -
     And I held your hand - mmm - I held your hand
Now the world’s a different place, moving at a swifter pace
But in my heart I’m still that little one
Who looked up to my Zaidy, tried to emulate his ways
While the roller coaster ride of life went on
     All the lessons that you taught me & traditions that you brought me
     Are ingrained more than I’m sure you ever planned
     & when I need something to guide me or a special light beside me
And I reach out for a soul to understand -
I still hold your hand - mmm - I hold your hand