Everyone seems excited to see me.
I’m not sure how to feel in return.
Voices. Questions. Puppy feet.
Television, loud. Timer buzzers.
Oven doors closing. The whistle
of a teakettle. It’s all too much.
I ASK FOR DIRECTIONS
To the bathroom. Follow them
through a maze of halls and space.
This house is crazy. Compared
to Grandfather’s staid white
rooms, these are warm with wall
color, art, and hardwood floors.
I don’t know my grandmother yet,
but I feel her presence here.
She’s an author. I’ve seen her
books around school, though
I’ve never opened one.
I wonder if I would have, had
I known how much they relate
to me. I think maybe not. Surreal.
I wander down a long hallway,
hung thickly with family photos.
Hunter in Little League. Kristina
as a teenager. And uh … me,
as a baby. I was here all along.
I need air. I cut through my grand-
mother’s office, go out a side door.
Summer
LOOKS LIKE THE PARTY’S STARTED