Grandmama looked and sounded so weird to me
She always would tell me, "Shmily,...Shmily"
I often reminded her, "It's Billy Gran, Billy."
But she insisted in saying, "Shmily, Shmily."


I saw it a lot, written in gathering dust
0r noted on post it's in the past,
Written in the bathroom mirror full of steam
There's issue really everywhere, I could've screamed!


I asked Grandmama who in the world was Shmily
She just gave me a fondly pat, "oh, Billy... !
Someday you'll know, one day you'll see,
To say that is old, silly Shmily loves me!"


I let it pass, though I was still confused
Meanwhile the years groomed me into a snazzy dude,
Thought I outgrew the mushy, icky sentiments
'Til one day I learned what Shmily really meant.


I chanced upon a box filled with old letters
that Grandmama must have made in past forevers
Each with a lesson and advice on how to be
Then ending with that ubiquitous word, "Shmily."


I further searched through, to find an old tape
Dusty but good, I set it on and played
There was Granny's voice of lullaby, singing to me
See-How-Much-I-Love-You: Oh, that WAS Shmily!

About the Author: WILLIAM BIAGAN RAMOS will always be the small,frail child "Pogie" in the eyes of his Lola Madang,the good-for-nothing kiddo that everybody think so little of,none believing in his potential but she. So much so that she fought so hard to have him educated until her last days on earth.She made sure that before she went to heaven he will be provided for in his college days. Pogie has no riches to brag but to be able to tell the whole world through this poem how much grateful if he is for the woman who 1st believed in him when nobody else did... "Thank you,Nanay...for the roots and the wings!" You are the reason why I'm still standing..& you will be the rison why I'll fly someday!You'll see