Going Home

Shirley Hauser

GOING HOME

I see chickens that cluck, and a waddling duck and growing in the garden there would still be corn to shuck.

I hope it's warm in heaven so my feet aren't always cold, and I'd like to bring my toys with me even though I'm very old. I want to bring my favorite truck and monkey from my bed or that funny clown, ragged now, and missing half his head.

But, now my toys are real as me, and clown is smiling too. We run, we fly, we laugh and play with the chickens that cluck and the waddling duck, made whole in a wonderful way. We eat golden corn and heavenly eggs, and listen to the angels sing, and when we're all done, God says, "Come on" and shows us a beautiful thing.

He says, "Look there and see" and through the clouds, high in the sky, I saw my Mama and me. As we spread our wings to fly, my toys all followed close by, because, you see, she bought them for me, and put them all under the tree.

God knew we would all be together again, and he laughed and laughed to see the chicken, the duck the clown and the truck, all laughing with Mama and me.