tamale lady

she set up shop across the street
on Thursday afternoons
with a cooler filled
with tamales
she and her husband
would sell their wares
to the neighborhood folks
and the families
and people would stop 
and ask for their choices
in pigeon Spanish
God bless the tamale lady
wherever you are

she made tamales every night
helped by her daughters
after homework was done
everybody knew
she made the best tamales
under the northwestern sun
she'd smile at you shyly 
and silently help you
to get what your stomach needs
God bless the tamale lady
wherever you are

no one knew what happened
or why they never came back
with the cooler filled
with tamales
some people worried
but nobody heard
what became of them
and their family
if the were taken
in the dead of night
or the bright light of day
God bless the tamale lady
wherever you are
God bless the tamale lady
wherever you are