He bangs on your door
sudden, insistent
He likes to drop in
Out of the blue
You open the door
and he doesn't pause
for pleasantries
"Your house is on fire!" he screams
You take a look
"No it's not," you point out
"But it could be," he cries
You notice the ravenous
look in his eyes
He is hungry
Always hungry
So you feed him
Anything he asks for
because it quiets him
Peanut butter on toast
Cheerios with bananas
Comfort food
"Slow down," you say.
"I can't," he says.
You nod, he continues
"It's like there's a giant hole,
deep down, an empty pit"
You nod again
He worries he might faint
"You never have," you remind him
"First time for everything," he retorts
"Not everything."
"But what if I die," he cries
"Drink your water," you encourage
He drinks reluctantly,
but it helps
You notice his fingers
they have stopped shaking
He yawns
"I'm tired, I think I'll go now"
And with that, he is gone
Quick as he came
The kitchen is a mess
You leave it and flop on the couch
exhausted, but glad he's gone
You laugh to yourself
because you know
the poor guy means well
he's doing the best he can
And as you count your blessings
that at least he doesn't
live with you anymore,
you remember back to when
you were enemies
Now you are learning
to accept him for who he is
You don't have to fight with him
you know he's all talk
he just wants to make sure
you're paying attention to life
and not taking any of it
for granted
Still, you hope that he doesn't
drop by again for a long time
But you know that when he does,
you will be a gracious host
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI guess, since your mother-in-law is so sweet, you have to have *someone* be the uninvited guest in your life.
Keep keepin on, lovely sister of mine :)
I loved this.
ReplyDeleteArtfully said. Mr. Panic is a huckster, but I suppose he means well.
ReplyDelete