the children decided
it was not in her best interest.

when her time came this year, six later,
in runnemede, new jersey
it was several days before they opened the door.
there was no funeral.

fifty, sixty years after
her grandfather rufus was dead
the only memory worth describing
was the sound of his piss
hitting her bathroom floor.

"it was like a horse.  and he never shut the door."

i have a sweater never worn
& a letter her lover typed in honor
of a scholarship.

1908-2000