12
March 25, 2020
Mother’s birthday falls on a day
When everyone can be together
Which is all she ever wants.
After the disaster of last year,
This is a welcome change.
Just write pretty lines.
Cold abstractions.
A new scent of soap,
A crumpled glob of rice paper.
An old grimy photograph of
Four women walking on the beach,
Three generations of women,
A grandmother, a mother,
Two daughters. Many years later
The grandmother has passed, the mother is
Severely aged and the sisters are estranged
The sisters and mother gather on a
Phone call. It’s a very tense call,
Lots of long pauses. One of the sisters is
Unhappy and it’s the other’s birthday.
What’s there to talk about? There’s not
Much in common between the three of
Them. It was sopped in, all the moisture,
Then the sun came in.