Family & Relatives
Knees
These knees have stories, she said, but they’d have to be a mouth to tell you.
Know Too Much
I have to hate you, she said. You know too much about me to be trusted.
Incurable Optimist
scattering little bits of happiness everywhere she goes, except at home because her family told her to get out & leave them in peace for godsakes
Inner Space
There’s a lot of space in here I’m just starting to discover, my grandma told me not long ago, so I’m hoping my body holds out.
Insect Cloud
keeps feeling like he’s being followed by a cloud of insects,
but it’s just the relatives watching
Hundred Percent
I’m of the opinion that people don’t know what they’re talking about 90 percent of the time,
my grandpa said & my grandma smiled & said , O, you’re too late.
The 10 percent slot filled up a few minutes ago.
& we could hear him muttering all the way back out to the garden
Identical Twins
identical twins in the way they see the world as long as they don’t discuss who threw their vote away in the last election
Hot Dish
It’s not so bad if you don’t think of it as pizza, she said.
Just think of it as another one of Mom’s scary hot dishes.
Hot Dogs
My father used to carry a briefcase when he went to work every day before we left for school.
Now, he stays at home & cooks us hot dogs for breakfast.
Hindsight (father)
I didn’t listen to him because he was my father
& wouldn’t know anything until I was much older.
Hindsight (mother)
I didn’t listen to her because she was my mother
& wouldn’t know anything until I was much older.
Her Laughter
The first time her laughter unfurled its wings in the wind, we knew that the world would never be the same.
Hawaiian Shirts
I have seen him in Hawaiian shirts, she said, so there is nothing hidden between us
Heading South
They drove south one winter until they could stand outside with no coats on & we never saw them again.
Gross Anatomy
When I grow up, he said, I want to be just like you, except for the hairs in your ears & nose. That’s too gross, he explained.
Half Alive
You can have a plain hot dog if you want, he said, but until you’ve had a real polish sausage you’re only half alive. I decided there were worse things & I was only ten & could correct the serious mistakes later & the plain dog tasted just fine, even being half alive & all.
Handy Fact
why aren’t people dogs? he said & I said because we can pick up newspapers with our hands & that made sense to him.
Generations
It came on her without thinking that she was the exact age as her mother was & no matter what, it would have been hard to leave & suddenly all the generations gathered around her in that small kitchen & held her close & they would have blocked the light if they had not come filled with their memories of love.
Giving a Damn
My grandfather used to say nobody gives a damn anymore & the thing I remember most about him is the way he never let that stop him from giving a damn all the days of his life.
Free Will
That’s the thing about free will, he told us. You can drag me along, but there’s no way in hell you can make me have fun.