When my dad and uncles went on vacation,
Once in a long while when my grandma mistook a falling star for a pig with wings,
They would drive to Las Vegas,
New Mexico,
And buy socks and underwear
At the Walmart.
On their way,
They prayed the Rosary.
Grandma would pray because she feared God.
The kids would pray because Grandma went forty five on the highway.
And Grandpa, I'm not sure what he did,
He's quiet now,
I can't picture him praying.
Santa Maria,
Madre de Dios,
Ruega por nosotros...
When I asked my dad,
That is all he could remember.
When I asked my Grandma,
That is all I could catch.
On their way back,
They would eat bologna sandwiches,
Drink Shur Fine Cokes,
And pray again,
Because Shur Fine was cheap,
Like the water at home,
Bologna could sustain the world,
If it had to,
And God was free to love.
YOU ARE READING
Bent Roses
PoetryBent Roses is a poetry collection about familial devotion, love, and misery. It is about those nights when everyone gets home late and the first thing they say to each other is good morning. It is about believing in another person when you shouldn't...
