the adults confounded me.
loud, tripping and pawing each other, like they were stupid.
times square on the magnavox,
my brother’s mean third grade teacher miss kroll in our living room
cat’s eye glasses and pearls.
i wanted her off my father’s lap.
dad smoked larks back then, and of course i hated him, and wondered where my mother was.
THREE TWO ONE
i made my escape under party horns and auld lang syne.
i would not would not would not see who was kissing who.
in bed, i prayed to reclaim my life up to then,
scrambled eggs, the dryer going in the basement,
before the new year came along and ruined everything.
Wow.