February 2018
Donna Reis
freshpoetry@earthlink.net
freshpoetry@earthlink.net
Note: My husband, Tom Miller, passed away on December 12th after battling prostate cancer for four years. When we met my heart became whole. Now that he’s left this earth, instead of taking his half of my heart with him, he’s lit it like the candles he lit every evening before dinner. He will complete and light my heart for all of eternity.
Miracle Whip & Woolite
Yesterday I drove to Poughkeepsie to see our lawyer.
I hated going alone. You always made it fun—
your funny take on things and treating me to lunch
on the River. You would have enjoyed
seeing the ice floes drifting down the Hudson. I hunted
for eagles riding them as you would have. The sky glinted
crystal blue--so cold--my feet never warmed up.
Chip sat in with me. It was comforting
that they both knew you--smiled at your idiosyncrasies.
And so probate begins.
Chip confided he lost his first wife to brain cancer.
He warned grief is a physical process
with several stages. I told him how proud of myself
I was remembering to ask our sister-in-law
to open our Woolite bottle. I'd been meaning to ask you
for weeks. Pride turned practical saying, I have to do this
because you won't be here to help me, then shattered
into, You will never, ever be here again, and I lost it.
Chip said in a marriage we make many agreements.
His family used Miracle Whip to make tuna salad,
whereas his wife's used Hellman's mayonnaise.
Together they used Hellman's. The first time he took
a jar of Miracle Whip off the grocery shelf, he collapsed
in tears realizing what a betrayal this bit of healing was.
Yesterday I drove to Poughkeepsie to see our lawyer.
I hated going alone. You always made it fun—
your funny take on things and treating me to lunch
on the River. You would have enjoyed
seeing the ice floes drifting down the Hudson. I hunted
for eagles riding them as you would have. The sky glinted
crystal blue--so cold--my feet never warmed up.
Chip sat in with me. It was comforting
that they both knew you--smiled at your idiosyncrasies.
And so probate begins.
Chip confided he lost his first wife to brain cancer.
He warned grief is a physical process
with several stages. I told him how proud of myself
I was remembering to ask our sister-in-law
to open our Woolite bottle. I'd been meaning to ask you
for weeks. Pride turned practical saying, I have to do this
because you won't be here to help me, then shattered
into, You will never, ever be here again, and I lost it.
Chip said in a marriage we make many agreements.
His family used Miracle Whip to make tuna salad,
whereas his wife's used Hellman's mayonnaise.
Together they used Hellman's. The first time he took
a jar of Miracle Whip off the grocery shelf, he collapsed
in tears realizing what a betrayal this bit of healing was.
©2018 Donna Reis
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