Food and death

As my grandmother lay on her hospice bed in the living room
Next to the dining room where we always had thanksgiving
My great aunt Nancy brought these wonderful eclairs into the kitchen.
All of the great aunts brought food into the kitchen
A solemn gathering of food
A dark mirror of every family gathering
We were all there
We all brought food
But no one was laughing
And we weren’t having a good time.
It’s not easy to watch someone die before you, slowly.