Kids.

Sister.


Don't be sad

You have red ribbons in

Your black hair.




Papa.

"I was pregnant and your dad--

Your tall dark handsome soft-handed father--

You can bet he loved to drink and fuck.

And to think.  A respected doctor

And married man.  He did what he loved.

And if he ever cared to lie in the grass

In the park drink wine and sleep

He would.  If he ever cared to taste a new brunette

Or some hazel-eyed blonde

He did."


            "But Mom, what about you?"


"What about me?"




A Way.


In our bedroom bunk under plastic stars.

On a matchbook I found, a lady sits straight

and smiles naked and she looks like she means it

You know, I think that she wants it and I think that

it's hard, so I take it out and smear it on my little sister

until, it's out of my system and she's crying for

a different way to play and mom pounds the wall

to go to sleep.