I thought all old ladies
curled inward
like orange peels
drying in the sun
but not Betsy
she was tall
and kept her hair long
she used big words
when talking to kids
and then winked at them
as if to say
I know how smart you are
she showed me how to slice strawberries
to get all the fruit off the stem
her humble tribute
to the quiet effort of a seed
that persisted through dirt
with plans for something so syrupy and red
it was years before I understood
that it wasn’t about the strawberries
it’s our life
we must not waste.