ten years straight of pregnancy

my father

used to give my mother the silent

treatment

for days on

end.

he'd sulk

in the easy chair

with a beer

and the tv on.

we were warned to stay

clear of him

until

he came back around.

i think it involved

sex, or the lack

of with

my mother being continually

pregnant like

a cat for

ten years,

telling him,

for once,

no.

which nearly brought

him to tears.