family fun

not all families love
each other.

the myth of the happy
and loving
Italian family is just that

a myth.
most of mine can hold
grudges
until the end of
time.

long after the wound
have healed, the blood dried.

after a dozen years
they forget why they're
even
mad a each
other,

but they can't let go.
they've built
a wall
made of stone.

the snips, the snarky
remarks,
the silent treatment,
the gossip

just flows and flows.
happy holidays?
hardly.