In
the living room
there
are curtains
through the window
there
is a garden
the begonias are dead I
tell her
and she says Doris is in the hospital
Ray
across the street
his knee is acting up again
he’s
back to using a cane
the children all live miles away
and Louise can’t take care of him
in
the living room
there
are curtains
Jeanine you know Jeanine she says
in the
yellow house on the corner
has
that little terrier mix
Pixie
or is it Trixie
her rheumatoid’s so bad
Jeanine
can barely hold the phone
through the window
there is a garden
the begonias died
she says
I pull the curtains closed
and
I say
everything
does.