For Kathy

One from a museum,
a place she liked to visit
After retiring, to see the paintings she remembered
To find the sculpture she admired
And always said she’d try to make

One from a church
Where she spent her Sunday mornings
Wrapped in the presence of her family
Not of her own blood but of everything else that connects us

One with a chip and a crack
From when it dropped
But just missed the carpet and
Hit the hard tile floor
She saved it anyway.
Off white and stained
With planetary rings of brown inside
It must have been her favorite.

One with a dog
The perfect dog she’d always say
Even though that dog growled at everyone
Before she got to know you

One bright red one
and a purple one
And a yellow one
And a green one
To match the walls

One with a witty saying
From either Mark Twain
Or James Thurber
We can hear her laugh
When she would tell us the
Quotes again and again
Sometimes in the same evening

So many from so many
times, Places, occasions,
Filled with memories
Now empty
As we empty the cupboard