Open hand slap
She smacks me in the face
with an open hand slap
leaving me surprised and stinging
every time

I was just saying
this is the longest I've been happy
SLAP

The bottles were under her bed
I found them
She was really slurring her speech
I shouldn't have believed
my prayers had been answered

Kaleidoscope colors
run together
joy changing
into gray sorrow

It's the first time a friend
comes over to play
mine
for two endless hours

In the closet I climb
toward the highest shelf
jumping
I grab the game by its corner
pulling it down

"Open it"!
I make you wait
then flip the cover off
at the right moment

Runny beer cans hidden inside
emit a sickening, sweet smell
"Let's play something else", you say
You never come back to play

Somewhere inside
I must have known
who had hidden the cans and why
because I didn't say anything
to anybody

I just stuffed the game
back on the shelf
where it stayed
unopened
until I threw it away

rubbing my stinging cheek

Copyright © 2004 Pamela Hamilton