My mother surprised us with pieces of you,
Mementos from your home that are now ours.
They’ve belonged to her grandmother, too.
And I find myself staring at them for hours.
A picture of Jesus with a light above his head
That hung in the living room beside your chair.
One my mother used as a nightlight in bed
Is now my sister and her daughter’s to share.
Decorative plates with religious meaning:
A portrait of Jesus, The Last Supper the other,
Are now mine, ones I’ll be religiously cleaning,
Handed down to you from your own mother.
We have two blankets, one of which you made.
I’ll make canvas crosses to keep you close.
I’ll put the framed poem about God on display.
But it’s when I look at these, I miss you most.
We’ll always cherish these pieces of you
And use them for guidance to help us through.
