the whole fam-damily turned out to greet me:
Jake, sweaty and animated,
auburn hair (And where did that come from, Mother?)
ruffled, freckled face (Thank God I missed that recessive gene!)
handsome
with summer color.
Leigh, on summer break,
too “Brittney-ish” (So much of Mom’s platinum beauty!)
to really be gay, (What a waste—like a butch would care!)
legs to die for,
unshaved in short shorts.
Scott, face losing
stress as he (Hard day, or another argument?)
put work behind him, (Mom could have done worse—and had!)
tall, lean, and great
looking for 40.
Mom, somehow prettier
with laugh lines, (Would I be able to say the same?)
visible from here, (Would I ever even be that beautiful?)
and a smile that could
light a starless night.
Right at that minute,
she saw me. (And, just for an instant,
her smile was all mine!)
Then She Caught Sight
of something
not quite righ
t,
something
not quite familiar.