The Mayday tree let me down. I had hoped the tree would be in full bloom for this day, of all possible days.
No such luck.
Ten years ago, on this calendar
day, Uyen left us behind. I had hoped
the tree would see fit to celebrate her life in flowers.
The Mayday tree is big now, but
it was no more than a pliable stick when we brought it home from the nursery
crosswise in the back seat of Uyen’s car.
We worked together to plant the spindly thing. That, almost thirty years ago—nearly half of
my life ago.
Though the Mayday tree has
failed me, I have my good memories and images of Uyen painted by light.
Today, I share three of those:
Uyen on the day she became a
U.S. citizen (July 3, 1986)
Uyen and her catch on the coast
near San Diego (1987)
Uyen fishing “her” creek (June
25, 2002)
— Mitchell Hegman
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