Come with me to Grandma’s.
In the dining room / gold candelabras / crystal glasses, candies in dishes / family photos on shelves / rom-com playing dully on TV.
GRANDMA’S HOUSE BY MORGAN NEERING 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 112
Come with me, up the railing
past the bird houses long empty
through the front door
greeted by the Christmas tree
from three years back
and against the wall a beat-up piano
found for cheap at a garage sale
just down the road from here.
In the dining room
gold candelabras
crystal glasses, candies in dishes
family photos on shelves
rom-com playing dully on TV.
Peek in the bedroom
romance novels with dog-eared pages
obituary printouts, feather comforter
gold-plated jewelry carefully stacked
around a life once lived.
In the hall closet a fur coat
shoes and throws
in the bathroom drawer
pastel perfume bottles
every shade of nail polish.
Come now to the kitchen
where supper simmers on the stove
fresh bread from Bernie
beers in the fridge
warm meal welcomes you
beckoning you inward.