Mariah Boone’s most recent poem to appear here was Thirsty Elbows (October 2011).
Strange Grandmother
By Mariah Boone
My mother-in-law
Feeds crackers and cheese to my four-year-old daughter
At midnight
My mother-in-law says she wants us to visit
But arranges no place for us to sleep that is safe for a small child
My mother-in-law keeps her up way past bedtime, then
Wakes her up early with intentional noise
Later making cold comments
When tired tears spill across the day
But
My mother-in-law
Tucks a plastic baggie of dried cranberries and cherries
Into my daughter’s little hand for the long road trip home
And content and happy
Is that cranberry and cherry ride
For miles.
a lovely poem
There are a lot of pent up emotions here. I hope things work out.
I loved this poem. I understand it in my core. Thank you, it was wonderful.
Human connections are often like the one expressed in the poem. Thank you!!!!