Crank (Crank 1)

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.