Din (poem)

May as well set fire

To the psyche

Sharpen neurons with

sourdough knife

Soon enough:

Hiding in corner or

Behind locked

bathroom door.

It didn’t always

Feel this way

Before a pandemic

Prior to emotionally draining

Experiences at the

Advent of advanced years

Family gatherings

were somehow handled

perhaps even enjoyed

in all their glory

Despite the

Bright tings

Children’s screams

Small talk

Emphatic knocks

Dishes clanging

liquor reigning

Toasts to the past

Breaking glass

Cousins’ cliques

Extroverted schticks

Guffaws and squeals

Overstuffed meals

TV sports

Bitter retorts

In laws of in laws

Cat’s responsive claws

Family pains

Willful refrains

The unwelcomed past

Ever-present en masse.

Time with extended kin

May lie in the same coping

Space as for red flag dates

and pelvic exams:

escape to a safe mental place

breathe

wait

abscond.

Until then

If I’m needed

Restricted visitation hours

Are open to you

And only you

In the dark, cool

Palliative comfort

Of the

Wardrobe closet.