Be in the Yard by Karen Warinsky

Out of the service
but still at war
he liked to fight battles
he could win,
most often with his wife.

There were many rules
she needed to follow
and she would repeat them
in her head
so as not to forget,
and the other moms
in the neighborhood
heard the consequences
were severe
if she slipped.

There were many rules
about their daughter,
a girl a little younger than me,
my next door neighbor
for two years.
She had to play in their yard
and only one friend
at a time could come over
to also play in the yard,
but not to go into the above ground pool,
and never be allowed
in the green split-level house for any reason,
like for a drink of water or
to use the bathroom,
and the child could never go
to any of our houses
and when he came home
at noon for lunch
and at 5 p.m.
for supper
she and his wife needed to be there,
neat and tidy
and ready to serve.

 

 

Karen Warinsky  has published in various anthologies and literary magazines including the 2019 Mizmor Anthology.   She is the author of Gold in Autumn (2020), Sunrise Ruby (2022),  and is a previous finalist in the Montreal International Poetry Contest. She loves to kayak and organize poetry readings.