Nicole Tasker Woods

Her house was an after school special…

Whenever I wanted to sit with her in the living room
I was welcomed by her lay-z-boy

Whenever I had a bad day and needed to vent
She was willing to lend an ear

Whenever I wanted time to stand still
We watched her birdfeeders get ransacked by squirrels

Whether we talked or watched Bonanza
A smile, an appreciative response, a significant laugh

All of her was always within reach
Yet she was more than a part of my life

She was an unwavering cornerstone in my childhood
She is someone I think of often

Someone I choose to remember in a very particular way
A way that makes me smile when I reminisce about

A blue sweater:

Baby soft with a white zipper and floppy hood
To fit the long, thick pony tail I frequently wore

She let me choose the style, she picked the color
And then she went to work with her knitting needles

When it was finished, the silky yarn wrapped around my arms
I zipped it up and flipped the hood over my head, a perfect fit

She watched me from her window that night as I rode my bike
Up and down the driveway wearing my favorite blue sweater