easter morning

she would rise
early

before sending us off to church
each
with an envelope

with coins
for the basket.

like ducks in a row
we'd go.
she'd

wave from the door as we went
to mass
at St Thomas More.

then it was
to the sink to scrub vegetables,
to put

a ham in the oven.
to bake
biscuits and pies,

a cake.

when we returned there would
be seven plastic

baskets of treats
on the table, the colored
sheets

glimmering in the early
light of day.