my cousin lives in granny’s house now
trying to convince her to move the junk out of his garage
and into her new husband’s house
she says you can’t throw out photographs,
even when you have three copies apiece

my cousin is cleaning up the backyard
that granny let grow over
once papaw’s tomatoes decomposed,
we stopped visiting his grave,
and the old building crumbled

i tell him to set the tomato seeds back
in the far fence corner
where they used to grow red and plumped
he says the neighbors let their yard go,
now an oak tree shades it over

Pete and Fran kept the bushes trimmed,
cookies stocked, plenty of sun left
for thriving fruits and growing grandchildren

but you can walk in through the front door now,
he had a key made
and put granny’s coats up in the closet