Tucking me into bed
making sure I had a glass of water and a vitamin
Yes Mutti, I remembered

Now Will you read to me?
Joining us in the room is a warm orange glow
a still lively pine fire cracks

Grandmother would look on a tall shelf of books
long books and short books
wide books and thin books
and she would choose one for me

"I am Paddle-to-the-Sea," she would read softly
I extended my toes into a cool corner of the bed

A young Canadian Indian boy from Nipigon country
carving a small wooden boat, wishing he could journey
From the Great Lakes past wild animals and saw mills
to the Atlantic

I pulled the crisp sheet over my eyes
the lamp becoming brighter
and brighter as Mutti read on until I fell asleep
just after her soft kiss good night
thank you for reading to me Mutti

– Aaron James Everhart
Presenting to EZL on the occasion of her 90th birthday.

Tags: poem, EZL, Mutti