To Grandmother’s House We Go

There were the days when my home
was the gathering place,
everything scrubbed, table prepared
familiar foods from your childhood
it was where you brought your children

then like a shuffle of cards
everything is rearranged
we drive to your home
adding to the celebration with homemade pies
the bulk of the work on your shoulders
shifting responsibility between two sons

Another shuffle, another hand delt 
it is time for the grandkids' to take a turn
my contribution relegated to the side dishes,
green bean casserole and candied yams
the turkey is also pushed aside, macaroni
and cheese takes center stage.

I’ll have to rewrite the song
formally known as Jingle Bells:

Rushing on the road
in a four wheeled Durango
o'er the freeway we go
fretting all the way

see the red lights blinking
making spirits sink
it’s no fun stuck in traffic
while the meal is getting cold

Oh, honk the horn, make a call
tell them we’ll be late
it’s no fun being stuck in traffic
in a four wheeled Durango.