Mother & Daughter

Mother, you try to die
And I am trying to help you:
This morning I defrosted the big freezer
And scrubbed the bottom of the refrigerator.
Last week I wrote your obituary
And made two copies for your sons' approval.
I called your sister-in-law and
We agreed that your time had come.
Oh, sad, to say.
I washed your favorite dress by hand.
How you hated the unkind automation of great machines to your favorite clothes.
I selected a pair of earrings for you to wear to hear the angels sing
And a freshly polished pair of white shoes
Because it is the proper season.
But mostly I tried in a way you would know to help you leave us and go.
I polished the silver.
Although you will leave from another house;
The table will be set for you in another house.

[Undated, handwritten poem by Virginia McKinnon Mann. I had to omit a few words that were entirely illegible, but they were only adjectives anyway. This poem conveys the great tenderness Virginia felt for her mother, who obituary you can read here: "Emily Toy Huntley McKinnon".]