I Trust You to Use it Well
My mother’s philodendron lived for thirty-seven years—
twice repotted, watered frequently, and in a place filled
with light that streamed in between slotted blinds—
My mother bought the plant, a vacuum cleaner and a dining
room table after I moved into my own home
room table after I moved into my own home
Each month she sent me money to do with as I wished
She never asked how I spent the money she sent
when she received my father’s pension check
It never occurred to me to ask what she did withoutwhen she received my father’s pension check
