shuffle into the kitchenAnd lay the food on the table.He sits by the windowThe TV is on, but it’s too early for wrestlingOh He’s watching that church in Texas.Or maybe he’s looking out the window at his garden.The garden has not been the sameIt’s been hard since he got sick“Thanks Doll”I don’t need to fuss at him about his sugaror his medicationor the oxygen pumping in through a tube from the other room. e’s already pricking his finger lancing at the medicine chart Shirnett made himAnd the oxygen tube is draped over his head and plugged into his nose.So I sitI look at himI tell him about covidabout old friends and coworkersabout our grandkidsand how the basement flooded andso many of his thingsare gone.He nods along while he chews his yam and chouchouHe smilesit trembles as if he’s holding in a laughBut the chair is empty now.The Tv is off andI sit alone.It’s been a long time.
The Dining Room
November 13, 2022
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