Sweetly sipping holiday cider
the usual melancholy,
but the bitterness
was always a surprise
and I felt much delight
with the bubbles
dispersing across the atmosphere
that was my mouth.  

The Day after
was a would be pleasant Monday--
thinking back I really
should have waited till Tuesday
everyone hates Tuesday less
and the people in my life
were no exception.

The Day after--
my mother washed dishes
it must be disturbing
as that was my household chore
they were shinier and cleaner
than any time I did them,
she noticed,
and grabbed a plate I had done
smiling and frowning
in the reflection it lacked.

The day after--
slack jawed and stooped
just finished piling
the heaviest cardboard boxes
my dad has ever had to carry
the possessions were clothes and photographs
but to him were
the weight of a casket.

The day after--
sleeping in my old bedroom
was my older brother
filling the curvature
my body had left
in the memory foam mattress,
as I wished for its name to become literal
so he could dream
my memories.

As I watched
not lived with my family
these feelings sunk
to the ocean floor
realizing the weight
that would crush my body
and cause my family
to collapse
the day after.