Lynn Edge
Tivoli, Texas, USA

Discovery

My daughter and I are on an outing in a nearby town. She notices a colorful banner outside of the Nave Museum and we stop to see the exhibit. Inside, the walls are lined with altars made by families in memory of loved ones. A photo of a young man at the beach, his fishing lures, and a wire basket filled with sea shells. Pictures of a couple as newlyweds, then as grey-haired grandparents, some of their dishes, her knitted scarf. All displays include a glass or plastic skull, and a wooden cross. Looking at the fifth altar, my daughter recognizes a photo: “Mom, look. We knew her.”

Dia de los Muertos
her sewing patterns
beside canned cola

the pins
still in her wrist cushion …
marigold petals

Note: Dia de los Muertos (Spanish: Day of the Dead)