Everyday her to-do list diminishes
like the point of a pyramid along
the Nile. Her papyrus, the back
of the ubiquitous ocher envelopes
from YMCA pledge drives, scrolls up
the magnetic column on the icebox.
My examination of her scribe
reveal May’s crossed-out tasks:
plant corn, pick asparagus, till okra,
mow orchard, file the hoe, finish
weeding pole beans, & horseradish,
harvest rhubarb, inspect bee hives,
fix latch on barn door…on and on
it ascends to the undisturbed duo
that describe what June may hold:
fences
silence