Thursday, February 25, 2010

If


Her feet are swollen
her fingers arthritic
she worries about leaving her grandchildren
at home alone all day

The lady next door promises to look in on them
but she knows they will slip down the block
to wait outside the bar
where their father sweeps floors
pours shots of bourbon for the regulars
and takes the trash to the dump every day

If their mother were here
If the train had moved more slowly
If the yellow van full of teenagers had not
         pulled so close to her daughter’s pickup

No comments: