Still Estranged Family Photo<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We all look
\ndirectly at the camera.
\nIn children, it is called parallel play.
\nIt looks like interaction.<\/p>\n
My father stands between his wife
\nand me, a hand on both a shoulder of hers
\nand mine, his body leaning toward her,
\nhis head slightly closer to mine.<\/p>\n
We all wear black sweatshirts,
\nexcept the baby who is drop-dead
\nin the center. One day he will understand
\nwhy blending in is important.
\nHe shares their DNA.<\/p>\n
My father’s wife’s daughter
\nis there too. No one is touching her.
\nShe is intellectually befuddled, functional,
\nand capable of breeding.
\nI cannot compete.<\/p>\n
Rays of the stranger looking at us
\nas a singular flash makes us visible.
\nThis light is a shock.<\/p>\n
Neither my father nor I
\nsatisfy. These people, this stranger
\nwith the fully attentive mouth.
\nHis age must have kept his lips
\nfrom lifting but perhaps the lean got me,
\nor maybe the hand.
\nI show teeth.<\/p>\n
I keep us in my wallet
\nbecause he won\u2019t.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Chrysania Marie Monroe is a young woman in Washington studying at a community college and works part time\u00a0at a local coffee shop. Having always loved storytelling, she primarily focuses on poetry and performance theater.\u00a0“Artists should be zealously well-rounded creatures.”\u00a0This is her first publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Still Estranged Family Photo We all look directly at the camera. In children, it is called parallel play. It looks like interaction. My father stands between his wife and me, a hand on both a shoulder of hers and … Continue reading