Poem of the Day: “Coach House” by Gerard Sarnat, Poet of the Week

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to present “Coach House” by Gerard Sarnat our Poet of the Week for the week of January 4, 2015.  One of Dr. Sarnat’s poems will be featured in the Review every day this week.  His bio may be found here:  http://eretzsongs.blogspot.com/2015/01/poet-of-week-gerard-sarnat.html.

Coach House

Gerard Sarnat

       Coach house. Noun.        

       1. a small building for holding coaches and other vehicles.  

       2. outbuilding subordinate to and separate from a main building. 

       -- The Free Dictionary

The family already chock full of dweebs oozing brains

when our first grandson’s born, I leave his other Gramps

the range of honorifics; and to the consternation of my wife

and befuddlement of others, choose the nickname, Coach,

as in baseball, soccer, tennis, basketball (he’ll be tall, shoot

over me like a chair) -- and though unspoken, life. After 8 years

and another grandchild, as they become their parents’ kids

learning drums, karate, and Mastery Quest from younger coaches

and mentors plus Aunt and Uncle take over prominent roles

and my football shoulder throwing days appear more and more

frozen; it is less clear beyond hubris what my moniker means

though the boys’ friends still sweetly call me Coach Coachie.

As time goes by the children’s grandma and I move closer --

400, 10 then a mile till now we live my dream in the room 

above their garage where grandkids can drop in for challah

-- and perhaps some day in turn care for Bubbe and Coach.

Poet’s Notes:  “Coach House” plays with the unanticipated convergence of my grandpa nickname and where I ended up living. 

Editor’s Note:  I find “Coach House” to be heartwarming but not overly sentimental with enough humor to keep it interesting and just a sprinkle of ethnicity to make it personal.