I wish everything didn’t have to be past tense.
Like the way I talk about the weather
or the flowers on my deck
and how angry I was when the squirrel
dug up the sunflower seeds
leaving big holes in my pots
and dirt everywhere.
Like the way I talk about summer
and how I should have gone to the pool,
should have knocked off the heat wave
so I wouldn’t blow my top at home,
sweat dripping between my breasts
and making my thighs chafe.
Like the way I talk about my boys
who filled my house with big feet and big appetites
and how I cooked mountains of food
just so they could eat leftovers at midnight
after I’d cleaned the kitchen
and turned out the lights.
Why do we always talk in yesterdays
when we are standing in front of each other
now.