the white board

you take a white
board
with a sharpie
pen
and make a flow
chart of your family.
you want to understand
once and for all
why there is so
much dysfunction.
it's a wild
diagram of discontent
concerning the ongoing
and never ending
squabbles
between all of
your siblings.
who said what
and never said
they were sorry,
who snubbed who at
last years
birthday party,
what about the time
when I was five
and you pulled my
hair, then there
was the father
who was never there,
the mother trying
her best to get scissors
out of your sister's
hand as she chased
your laughing
brother.
you run out of ink
before you can finish
and it's not
even Christmas.