Betsi Went to Jersey

Betsi went to Jersey
I stayed with the baby
Just shy of her birthday and learning to stand
I told her a story
I sang You Can Close Your Eyes
She drifted to sleep holding my hand in her tiny hand

When Betsi was little
She learned how to tap dance
Then she went through clothes, fast friends
And the hit parade
But I was still dancing
With nobody watching
To music that poured through Betsi’s door
A Horse With No Name

Now for all Betsi’s horses
And all Betsi’s men
The baby is life, without parole and Jack is her crime
But I still remember
Nights when I held him
Like I hold the baby and wish she had been mine

The baby is waking
Her smile is the sunrise
I give her a rattle, put a bottle on to warm
She crawls on the kitchen rug
Holds the chair, standing up
Then takes her first baby steps into my arms

©2004 Annie Gallup

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