She encapsulated the human interest
of everyday life
in 600 words or less
through her weekly column,
“They Do It Every Time”—
leaving behind a legacy of smiles
in the way that stand-up comics
left behind laughs.
She closed the last chapters of someone’s life–
with biographical narratives
that became reverse baby books
& treasured keepsakes by their descendants
rather than their ancestors.
When she closed the last chapter of her own life—
writing not her obituary
but a poem that was a celebration of her life–
she realized that even though her children
couldn’t tell her life story better than she could,
they could convey what she’d meant to them
better than she ever could.