Mizpeh

When I lie dying
let my family gather around
and tell me of the picnic lunches
at highway rest areas
around utilitarian tables
sandwiches we had packed
the night before
slivers of carrots
dipped in hummus
and then
Doritos
Little Debbies
and other things we’d never buy
for lunches at home
but we relished these
in the shadow of pine trees
that had sheltered countless sojourners
only briefly there
on the way to somewhere else