My Grandmother’s Face by Mike Munro

Today,
two majestic Japanese maple trees
side by side for long life
full with deep red leaves
adorning the garden
spread over the entryway
to the Rosaria Student Centre

It seems like no surprise
when Nanny Mo
passed away that year
that our own Japanese maple
the centerpiece of the garden
died that same spring

And I hear the echoes
of the lama teachers words that
if I thought about interdependence
I would see
in this very piece of paper
my own grandmothers face