ALONE WITH NOTHING You took my gifts and trampled them in the ground You stole my knowledge and used it for yourself You seized my dreams and left me dreamless You played My songs and made them your own compositions You read my unpublished books and put your name on them You sucked up my love and didn't bother to look back Then you laughed in my face and walked away You took everything that was most precious to me Now, I am left alone with nothing When I was a little girl, my blind grandma, Sallie. and I used to sit on the front porch swing, swinging for hours at a time. She taught me songs and stores. Also, she would recite to me, what she called, "Memory Gems"! One of my favorite that has been impressed on my mind all of these years is: "Standing at the bottom, gazing at the top How do you ever expect get up there? If you never try!" Well, it has been a long time coming; but because of the inspiration I received from my Grandma Sallie many years ago, I am presenting to you a few "Memory Gems" of my own - Poetry & Etcetera - Enjoy! Tina Cowan Wynn