Nicole Yurcaba’s most recent poem to appear here was “Roses and Ravens” (February 2017)

The Pale Goth’s Father Watches the German Hornbach Paint Commercial
By Nicole Yurcaba

Each time my father views it
on YouTube, he is torn between
crying and cheering.

Once, he drove me to school, watched
my trench coat’s lengths flow in March’s breath;
he watched from his pick-up truck as my peers
shouted Hey, freak! and made crosses with their fingers,
trying to melt me with a power they
didn’t quite possess. That evening
at dinner he passed the pierogis, told us
he’d had a good day fishing, and announced
to my mother N. looked so beautiful
today in her trench coat. The sunlight
glinted off the purple in her hair
perfectly

I never told him that I’d
spent an hour in the principal’s office
because of that coat. My history teacher
thought the garment, like the ankh earrings I wore,
offensive; my principal said You need to keep it
in your locker, and the shop teacher told me
I could wear in the shop because I needed
somewhere . . . safe.

Years later, my father watches the German Hornsbach commercial.
He knows before he views the ending
that the father in the commercial will paint the family house
black after he drives his daughter to school
and watches blonde, white-sweatered peers
jeer as his very own Wednesday Addams
walks mournfully to class.