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Replying to a comment on:
Grampa Morris (Free verse) by http://bandgeek
Our past entered your grave today,
secrets intact.
I provided you with years
of vicious, knowing stares
that you couldnât escape:
I hadnât forgotten
the feel of clammy, hairy hands
under Superman pajama bottoms.
Grandma stayed furious
at my persisting disrespect:
I called you âMorrisâ.
Grandma was baffled:
I never allowed my child,
my young cousins
away from vigilant watch.
In your demented years
I wondered if you remembered.
When you called me my fatherâs name,
I afforded you no gentle reminders
instead, gave hearty kicks under the table
âWhat the fuck are you talking about?â
âIâm Erikâ.
They pretended it was Alzheimerâs
that made you ask Mom over the phone
âWhat are you wearing?â
but âpervertâ is not
a criterion for dementia.
As I was your nearest
geographical relative,
Iâd play nurse for you
while grandma worked.
Hoisting you around the house
your arm sliding off my shoulder
and down around my waist.
How frequently you slipped,
your frail body crashing
onto a bed of urine stained carpet.
I took pleasure in
nagging you;
Drink your water,
Take your medicine,
Put on some clothes,
Roll over.
Family commended me
for my dedication to
improving your health.
I hoped I wasnât doing you a favor,
add a pill here
subtract a pill there.
Your sugar counts
spanned the spectrum of unhealthy
while I voiced my concern.
âWhat will happen to Morris?â
So there you are,
in the ground as I
casually, maliciously
throw dirt over the coffin.
I can breathe my sigh of justice,
then head back to burn
cat pissed sofa and carpets.
Letting my son run free in
the house that was yours.
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