bass line
My Sister's Christmas Eve Breakdown
One day
she was my big
sister, so normal and
well-behaved, the next she was a
stranger
rushing
out the door to
Midnight Mass, a wild-eyed
Jewish girl wearing only a
nightgown.
One day
he was my dad,
so calm and quiet and
in control, the next he was a
stranger
dragging
my big sister
away from the door, up
the stairs, screaming so loud that my
ears stung.
One day
she was my mom,
so reliable and good in
a crisis, the next she was a
stranger
standing
stock still with her
hands clamped over her mouth
and her eyes squeezed shut, not even
breathing.
That day
I sank into
the wall, wondering what
these three people were doing in
my house
and I
shouted that they
had to stop, even though
I wasn't supposed to talk to
strangers.
-stop pretending
One day
she was my big
sister, so normal and
well-behaved, the next she was a
stranger
rushing
out the door to
Midnight Mass, a wild-eyed
Jewish girl wearing only a
nightgown.
One day
he was my dad,
so calm and quiet and
in control, the next he was a
stranger
dragging
my big sister
away from the door, up
the stairs, screaming so loud that my
ears stung.
One day
she was my mom,
so reliable and good in
a crisis, the next she was a
stranger
standing
stock still with her
hands clamped over her mouth
and her eyes squeezed shut, not even
breathing.
That day
I sank into
the wall, wondering what
these three people were doing in
my house
and I
shouted that they
had to stop, even though
I wasn't supposed to talk to
strangers.
-stop pretending