Summary

The first part of this section consists of two poems in which Alexie reflects upon his mother’s life and death. At the time of his mother’s death, Alexie had been home in Seattle rather than at her side. When the news of her passing from came from his sister, Alexie reacted with a mixture of both grief and relief. While sad to have lost her, he also felt relieved in knowing that power she had over him would also cease to exist and perhaps he could finally live a life that was truly his own.

After Lillian’s funeral, all of the mourners feasted. A poem follows in which Alexie realized the spoon he used had been in his family for over 42 years, this sparked him to consider how one should commemorate the ordinary. After he returned home to Seattle he...