mother in law

it's hard for mother
in laws
not to be meddling, passive
aggressive people.
it's part
of who they are.
the second a child marries
into the wrong
family,
thinking that they are all
wrong,
they turn like an apple
fallen to the ground.
his wife can't cook, she says.
too much salt.
the husband
can't earn.
he's only from Yale, not
Harvard.
the kids are undisciplined,
shaking her head.
the dog sheds.
all of this
mumbled quietly
where it can't be heard
until safely in the car
and driving back
to Pennsylvania.