99 New: I Knew Sallie When

I knew Sallie when

She cooked for me, linked arms

Taught me to put hard bread in too salty soup

To soak up the mistake

That’s what she believed

Everything could be fixed

If we gathered more coats, held candles

Welcomed all babies, early or not

She was feral in this world, gathering up

People and ferns, the tender parts, oblivious

When I left her, I kissed her cheek and said thank you

For things she had forgotten she’d done