There

 

She nursed three of us

While married to an alcoholic

She worked while we were at school

Then taught me cross-stitching at night

She took the dogs to the vet

But made it home to cook supper

Even Lithuanian dishes

 

She strung popcorn garland on the tree

Then read me The Velveteen Rabbit

She picked me up from school when I was sick

And wiped my dirty summertime feet before bed

She skied the moguls with me

And shuttled me to softball practice

And gymnastics, and piano lessons

 

She bought me sugar cookies at the bakery

After bandaging my bloody knees

She taught me how to drive stick shift

Then earned her private pilot's license

She took me on a trip to Jamaica

After mending my school uniform

While helping me study

 

A never ending list, all the moments

Maybe not perfect, not always smiling

But she was there, just there.

 

Even while taking extra time

With my tangled mop

She was just there, always there.

 

Even while teaching me blackjack

On the train to Denver

(Our bets made with gum wrappers)

She was just there, always there.

 

Now the days dwindle while monitors chirp

The white shoed moths flutter in and out

What if she's not there, never there? 

 

                                                - Marissa Krupa