when they came to see you
in the hospital
you gestured to my grandfather
to come near and
you whispered, "nicole".
when i arrived
you gestured to me to come closer and
you whispered, "i love you"
and when i thanked you
for your love
you whispered, "my pleasure".
and i wept.
your room is on the fifth floor
your husband of 64 years is on the seventh
victims of a broken hip and congestive heart failure.
i left you to go tell your dying husband
of your forever love.
i said to him, "what's a good lookin' man like you
doing in a place like this?"
and he smiled when i said that
he sure did pick
a pretty wife.
and he gestured to me
to come closer
and whispered in my ear
"it was my pleasure".

dear mom,
last night when you called again in a drunken rage,
i tried my best to do the obligatory, "yes, mom", but i was
tired and disinterested in your antics.
when i woke up this morning, you had left two voicemails & one text:
i am possessed by a demon.
i don't deserve my hyphenated last name.
i carved on myself as a teen just to **** with you.
you only gave birth to my sister because i wanted one.
i better watch out because you're getting really mad.

you pulled this all the night of my 13 year old daughter's birthday party.
you jealous *****.