empty vessels

the coral astremeria has faded
fallen
having lasted two fridays
and five days
has it really been that long
since camille's going away

carefully rinsing
and placing on the counter
to dry
my husband's grandmother's...Nana's pitcher
the pattern from childhood etched in his memory

"I like this one...it reminds me of my Nana's"
when we went to pick out our china pattern...

noticing a generation of women
standing there in the morning light

tall in the background
bought to hold sunflowers to make an attic welcoming
to my far away family...
...next to another no one would even know
from my little girl's first apartment
and the oldest of all
from the basement of grandmother and papa's house
when we first moved into our dream house
and was collecting cream ware for the bulk head....

and then again
at the end of the day
how the light changes yet again today

empty vessels
not broken.......