999 Z28

hunger ate away the pride
an old woman kept away
locked inside a strongbox

she wasn’t a beggar
she showed up at family reunions
dirty hands
reaching for the greens
but a family might
a family did welcome her
welcomed her there
at the table
handed her the greens

an old woman
sat on the porch
let the rain soak her cigarette
and the only clean
pants she owned
gave it up
chewed tobacco

brought vodka
to a Christian convention
hotel with a strict policy
hall monitors with badges
had a cross and a flaming crown

at a seminar on forgiveness
my old woman threw up
in a wastebasket
tobacco and vodka
all around the rim
but I loved her still