poems | katrina steckle

at my grandmother’s kitchen table
I watch the birds with my grandfather

there are pies baking in the oven
dutch (deutsch) apple and raspberry custard 
(my favourite, my grandmother knows)

my grandfather names the birds
gold finches, red breasted woodpeckers

we feed the orioles grape jelly 
made by my grandmother

there are less orioles
than last year

The LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground.

The LORD remembers that we are dust.

my grandfather 
above all else 
is a gardener 

despite aging knees
and aching back
my grandfather
continues to garden

my grandfather
awed by plants
grows new varieties 
every year
shares knowledge
and produce
lives open minded 
and open handed

my grandfather
has lived on this land
all his life
he has cared for it 
and it has cared for him

for the first time
my grandfather 
has reduced 
his garden