Fifty-one years ago today
she left this life
age eighty-one
tonight I read a hebrew prayer
and light a candle
honoring the love
that emanated
from her face
the kindness that
she learned from
old world parents
rabbi Chaim Elya
and Chaya Sarah
Yiddish speakers
immigrants from Lithuania

She offered me the love
only a grandmother can offer
without demands
or expectations
a gift I've cherished
sought to emulate
with my own grandchildren

Tonight in my mind's eye
I see her face
and take some comfort
knowing my own death
will soon enough erase
whatever distances may yet
lie between us