i wish
grandma i wish
we could sit down
at your formica table
in your kitchen in Tampa
& eat grapes
& drink Cokes from the bottle
to keep cool
you always slipped me
a few bucks b/c you knew
money escaped me
but you didn’t mind
the way i was
i wish i could take you shopping
i’d buy you
a pair of red shoes
you always liked shoes
i wish i could wrap
you inside a piece of bread
& carry you in my purse
& when I needed you
i’d pull off a piece
& let you dissolve on my tongue
Editor’s Note: This poem’s informality sharpens the truth of the narrator’s grief.
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