THE DAY SHE DIED

The day she died she cooked a pot of food

Pumpkin

The meat was browned in sugar

Dark and sweet

The pumpkin soft and thick

Mushy chunks of orange in brown gravy

Shining with the fat she cooked it in

Delicious stew.

The day she died my mother brought her pot

And filled it to the brim with

Pumpkin stew

Her mum knew

Best how to make a hearty meal

And steal a heart with food.

The day she died five beggars fed

From that same pot

Of pumpkin stew on bread

Wrapped in waxed paper

And the warmth of her tireless smile.

The day she died she washed out her pot

Wiped clean with bread

She had begrudged herself

The last beggar at the door

More hungry than she was.

The pot washed

The kitchen cleaned

She cleaned herself for prayer

Then bent to pray…

And was found that way

The day my granny died.