After church,

                                    On our way into the house,

                                    I stopped to pick up a handful

                                    Of dark brown pecans,

                                    Just fallen, nestled in the grass you’d

                                    Trimmed short on Saturday.

 

                                    Before changing my Sunday clothes,

                                    I filled three blue plastic bowls with

                                    Chopped lettuce,

                                    Sliced cucumbers, carrot stubs,

                                    Shredded cheddar cheese, croutons, and

                                    Tossed them lightly.

 

                                    You stood there in the kitchen

                                    Cracking pecans,

                                    Pealing off the shells,

                                    Extracting the plump meats,

                                    Offering them half by half,’

                                    Beside me.

                                                                                                            Cerita M. Hewett

                                                                                                            November 2000