My Mother’s Obituary

When I write 

my mother’s obituary, 

I will start at the 

beginning:

Once upon a time, 

there was a beautiful 

apple tree, 

and on it, 

two golden apples, 

sharing seeds. 

From the ground, 

it was impossible
to tell where
one apple ended, 

and the other began. 

I will tell them:

Once there lived 
a bird 

who fell in love 

with a fish, 

and she would spend 

every day 

on the sand 

by the water’s edge, 

waiting to glimpse 

his glimmering scales 

in the sunlight. 

I will say:

By the time you 

read this, 

she will be gone. 

But she lived 

her whole life 

as a love letter 

to him. 

I hope 

you will read it 

and understand.