Madonna Hess

Be careful when committing to the love of another;
I dreaded the day my love, my Peter, would leave me.
Act as a mentor to the younger generation, even if you bore no children yourself.
Help and witness them grow, for they may possibly become like yourself!
Find religion, some way, somehow;
It will save you when you feel nothing else will.
My tribute to Mary, the glossy midnight blues and cracked pastels,
They have all witnessed my husband and I live,
Retreated in the little house of ours on Ellis Blvd.
Now, my love and myself are united again, eternally.
Those children whom I watched color in Raggedy Ann's giggly face
And pluck turnips out of the ground with Peter, are now older-
Much involved in their own lives and ambitions.
The figures, the blues and pastels, now scattered amongst our family and friends,
Will hopefully show them what they have shown me.

Maggie Kallai