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The Lady with Three Chairs

Poetry on Gratitude

By Michelle Liew Tsui-LinPublished 7 months ago β€’ 1 min read
AI Image generated by the author

Gratitude is sometimes shown, not said.

πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™

Aunty Lin cleaned up all day,

Wiped tables, cleared the rain --

She was plain, wealth not displayed

A cleaner who came by train.

πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™

She sat near Exit A each day,

Three chairs, set neat, laid out ---

Red, yellow, plastic stools--

In silence sat, not a shout.

πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™

She never spoke. Just gave nods

Commuters passed her by

But May who worked hard at Stall Four

Dared to ask her, "Why"?

πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™

She placed the red chair at her feet

Said nothing, but heart stayed.

They left a box. And baked her bread

And returned, unafraid.

πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™

A month went by. A man stormed in--

Yelling, his fists raised to trounce--

She nudged the blue chair with her foot

The man fell back, sat down.

πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™

By June, she vanished, with no trace

Just the chairs. Red, yellow, blue.

But in her box, their note of grace

"This one is for you."

πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™ πŸͺ‘πŸͺ‘❀️ πŸ’› πŸ’™

Original poem by Michelle Liew. AI tags are coincidental.

inspirationalFree Verse

About the Creator

Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin

Hi, i am an English Language teacher cum freelance writer with a taste for pets, prose and poetry. When I'm not writing my heart out, I'm playing with my three dogs, Zorra, Cloudy and Snowball.

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Comments (5)

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  • Mother Combs6 months ago

    🩷

  • A quiet story of kindness, presence, and silent strength. Sometimes, a few chairs and a gentle nod speak louder than words. Beautifully moving.

  • Susan FourtanΓ© 7 months ago

    Have you thought about reading your poems for the YouTube videos. I think it would be much nicer.

  • Wait, so is she a ghost? Loved your poem!

  • Sandy Gillman7 months ago

    I love how Aunty Lin’s presence spoke louder than words ever could.

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