So Mom, if you come
there are rules:
no talking about
grandpa’s big C
or making up
your wacky stories.
When you pack
Christopher’s school lunch,
don’t make peanut butter
sandwiches,
one of his friends might die,
and no chocolate.
He can have beef,
but only grass-fed.
True—he doesn’t eat
much besides
mac and cheese,
so don’t try to force feed him
broccoli or Brussels sprouts,
none of those cruciferous vegetables.
And if he gets his facts wrong,
don’t correct him,
he’ll throw a tantrum.
Some dinosaurs are
still alive, they’re called
birds, and there are dragons,
aka Komodo.
And especially, Mom,
don’t speak French,
he’s four-years old,
and I don’t want him getting
your flat accent.
Yes, you can play checkers,
but you really should
let him win.
And please don’t bring
your walnut fudge.
Lois Marie Harrod’s 13th collection Fragments from the Biography of Nemesis was recently published by WordTech. She won the Tennessee Chapbook Prize 2012 (Poems& Plays) with her manuscript The Only Is. A Geraldine R. Dodge poet, former high school teacher, she now teaches Creative Writing at The College of New Jersey. Find more work on http://www.loismarieharrod.com