Family Dinner

The old folks were in polyester
flowered shirts and saggy pants
pretending to be ordinary people

pretending to know us when
God knows who they thought we were
- the servers, the chefs, the caterers

they ate with gusto
the chicken, the bright peas,
the lemon meringue pie

they wanted iced tea with no ice
so they got their money’s worth
not knowing the price of the meal

we answered their questions
their over-and-over questions
each of us in turn

giving different answers
to the same questions
we made up answers

we made up stories
we showed photos of grandchildren
they pretended to remember

and fathers and brothers and dogs
still alive for those who had outlived them
who counted the cost of ice?


Daughter