My mother has asked for no
celebration of her life.
She wants to be
gone when she’s gone,
no speeches, no PowerPoints, no
strumming of acoustic guitars.
Just a single photo,
forty-four in her favorite skirt.
Just two roses,
one white, one red.
Just the rest of us, rising up
from the meditation chairs,
wiping our eyes and walking
to the kitchen for cake.
Natalie Wolf is a writer from the Kansas City area and currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Kansas. She is an editor for Ambidextrous Bloodhound Press and a former co-editor and co-founder of Spark to Flame Journal. She is a major fan of baking, cats, and anything with rainbows and/or sparkles. You can find her on her website (https://nwolfmeep.wixsite.com/nmwolf) and on Instagram @nwolfcats.