Bakersfield.com

The second tree from the end is where I always sit,

Brushing my hand across the grass as I talk to my relatives.

     Aunt Lois with her ancient mink coat.  She and the pelts

sharing the same fate, the same dust.

     Quack,  squatting in the dirt beneath a red bud tree,

Sure that Eisenhower has "forgotten the little man".

     Ma Ma married in overalls.  Buried in her granddaughter's

under ware after a lifetime of work.

     Pete his face folding into a wrinkled smile.   Leaving his

handiwork in a trail of temporary homes.

     Ted, troubled war hero, insisting on Nam rules.  Triumphantly

tossing his winning hand in, one card at a time.

     J.C., his early confidence and wry humor stripped away by

diabetes until all that remained was bitterness and sad resignation.

     Sherry, petite, precise.  Her beautiful hands in constant motion,

sculpting the world for others to enjoy.