Up On Fairchild's Mountain...

Up On Fairchild's Mountain...
By Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee

Photo of my son, Tommy... and myself... taken at Lake Royale, when we lived there...
Gloria Faye Brown Bates/aka Granny Gee.... Note:  this photo survived a house fire.



Up on the hill like a mountaintop
Lies several graves that are long forgotten
Never important to anyone but, us

Each grave was dug by hand
Grief in our hearts, tears overflowing from our eyes
We placed rocks over each, to protect from wild animals

Each spring, yellow buttercups bloom
Golden sunshine glows through the branches
Of the trees... making it a magical place to visit

Sometimes, we walked there to stand in silence
In silence... to remember each pet we buried there
Not only pets, a possum was buried there, too

A little white possum we fed every night
We found it one day down on the road
A car had taken its life away, caused grief in our hearts

We bought the little possum's body back up on the mountain
Dug a small grave, laid the possum gently in it
Stood there, feeling grief for it... quietly covered it up with dirt

We placed rocks upon its grave, just as we did our two dogs
Two dogs whom had grown to a golden, old age
Every year they lived, made our lives very happy

We'd leave, come home to our Pups, tails wagging
Walk through the gate, they'd come running
To greet, love us... glad we were home

Now, we have three other Pups who have taken their places
Pups we love with our very hearts, Pups who are dear to us
Life is long enough to know love, too short when we lose it

We don't live there anymore, all has become more memories
Precious memories of days gone by up on that mountaintop
The mountaintop we named Fairchild's Mountain

Fairchild was a big, shiny black dog
He was our Rottie... he died with cancer three months after Tommy
Grief, more grief... pain you can never imagine

The evening before Tommy died, he was at Fairchild's mountain
Walking all around, power-washing the house, cars
Sitting, talking, laughing with us... eating at the picnic table

A smile as bright as the sunshine
Eyes sparkling, full of love as he ate his sandwiches
Mama, these are the best sandwiches I've ever eaten!

My last memory of my son when he was alive
Driving down the driveway by the house, a smile on his face
Tooting the horn, waving his hand.... bye, mama! I love you!

On that mountaintop was the last time I got to hug my son
See his smile, hear his voice... see him walk
The next time I saw him... he was in that box I tried not to see

Fairchild's mountain, full of memories, one big memory in my mind
Where I used to walk every place Tommy went that evening
Trying to see him, hear him in my mind... trying to find Tommy

Knowing I wouldn't... knowing he was gone forever
Tommy was gone forever to never come back
My last memories of him are up on Fairchild's mountain

I never wanted to leave there, but... we had to
The owners needed to sell... we didn't have the money to buy
Now... someone else lives with memories unaware they are there

My last memories of my son, our pets I didn't want to leave
I can't go back now... it's not our home any longer
It's not our home now... it's no longer Fairchild's mountain