Archive for January 23rd, 2012
playing dead
the girls have a new game they play outside -
one lies down on the ground, face up, eyes closed,
dead grass knotted in her hair.
one sister comes to the rescue,
placing the dead sister in the little red wagon
and carting her to the gazebo, which is really the hospital.
The sister pulling the red wagon is really a doctor
who saves the other sister
with concoctions of dead leaves, berries, and dirt,
which they call medicine.
the father leaves the door open while he works,
listening as the sisters play.
meanwhile, the contractions become
more intense, and the mother
makes a batch of homemade granola
for the nest.
… only a few more weeks,
dearest friends.
illustration from the dead bird by margaret wise brown
