The chair by the avocado tree had turned a faded green from wear
For years it sat untouched behind the orange-red sunsets
Built for the old lady with the fishing hat who kept forgetting
Its purpose was to help her remember
To stay in the present of the ink-washed sand
And it stayed there till the time of her grandson
Sitting by the murky green water with his homework
Reminding them of all the beautiful sunrises and afternoon checker games played
And his days looking at the intriguing graphite numbers on bleached paper
But before then he would wonder if his grandmother would ever be the same again
If she would ever remember who he was without a lost look on her face
One day
Looking at the plants by the seaweed strewn about
He took a nearby avocado seed and buried it into the sandy ground
He began to take the wood from his backyard to build a chair
Hoping it would help her remember
He tended to them day by day
From the mornings spent on his work
To the afternoons sat with the wood
Sanding and painting it as the tree grew
And he worked right by the shore with the graphite numbers and the wood
Making progress as time went on
Eventually the chair sat next to the tree
And one day the lady with the fishing hat sat in the chair with the tree
And remembered the difference that was made
Washington, D.C.
