her troll doll had longer,
silkier hair than mine, her
Easter dress was much more
mod than mine, she stole and
ruined favorite clothes of
mine – separated as teens
before we killed each other,
wishing we lived closer now –
I would give her anything,
including answers (if I had them)
although I hesitate to use
the word, a saint – with
the saintliness of daisies, fresh
air, twilight birdsong, pure and
effortlessly good, adept at ceremonies
from exorcism to wedding and
all in between – presence always
sweet, bemused, unwavering unless
he fell asleep, the heavenly peace
of which his frequent refuge
misfortunate daughter of the
household at the end of West
177th Place – father, tall, dark,
and hatchet-faced, mother round
and pleasant, oldest girl a brown
mysterious wrongness with pug
dog face and mangled garblespeech,
she spent time with my mother
who was a fountain of compassion
and everpatient listening
nicknamed Tinny, she endured the
refining fire of childhood (with
her sensitive nature, we made
her cry by saying “Tin-ny”
in chorus with punitive intensity);
purified, she grew into a
Valkyrie for peace, justice, and
a Better Way – personally in
her jobs and marriage, politically
active against the death penalty
older sister of the Fawn,
this one was more aligned
with Snake – diagnosed with
early signs of scoliosis, she did
nightly exercises that left her
with abdominal muscles whereby
her upper body could rise up
like a cobra’s, weave back
and forth until she hypnotized
you with her gutsy powers
in the hard luck house
next door there lived a
teenage son, amazing creature
from a realm that figured in
my future too – once I saw
him saunter through their
living room, nothing but a
towel around his waist – whoa!
like I saw a centaur
in a mythology of lust
diminished from her birth, my
aunt’s physical realities overwhelmed
and puzzled me – she was solid,
fleshy, slow, with wandering eyes,
wore short white anklets, dark
brown hair, demurely cut – she
could knit, care for chickens,
write her name, rock in
her chair, get into trouble,
pray, make promises, and die