relatives in town

your sister
pulls up in her
minivan with
luggage on the roof
and the kids in back.
two of them are
strapped into gooey
child seats
and the other one
is bouncing a ball
against the inside
of the windshield.
she recently lost her
job and broke
up with her drunk
husband, larry
the pharmacist,
and she wants
to stay for awhile.
sort things out.
it was all in the email
that i got the other
day. i need to update
my spam filters.
she beeps her horn
before coming to the door,
ringing the bell
and knocking
with the knocker.
hey, are you home,
are you in there? she
yells. you are, but you
are lying on the floor
with the lights
off, peering
out the bottom
of the last
slat in the venetian
blinds. you hold
your breath, slow
down your breathing
so that she
can't hear you.
then you hear
a ball bounce and
you turn around,
it's her older
kid with the ball
standing in
the doorway. he came
through a window
in the kitchen.
what are you doing
uncle jimmy, he
asks, why are you
lying on the floor?
he throws the ball
at you, and says
catch right before
it goes through
the window.