Oma

The houseplant you sent home with me,
And called "easy" to keep alive,
Did not stay green.

It needed your plainspoken blend
Of active love and common sense.
Wisdom, I mean.

That was your way. You had the knack
Of calmly keeping things alive,
Mostly unseen

By those who flourished under it
Amidst your cakes and coffee mugs
And china clean.

We now see that, though it may be
A simple kind of daily grace,
It's not "easy."