Anticipating My Father's Death

It has been a life long
habit of mine to anticipate
my father's death, tasting
it, a candy giving off sprays of
flavor: sudden poverty; relief;
my mother, the child-bride, would cry sweet
tears -- they'd be sweet to us kids anyway
who never did a damn thing right.
His unmarried sister used to
make candy out of orange peels. They
were bitter even after
being soaked for days
in sugar. She preceded him graciously
in death as she graciously
had given up college to work for his
college so he could earn money. My mother
gave up employment and stayed at home
all the time, through her youth
and his old age. That's how
it was done. You take
the peels and soak
them in sugar and when
they are eaten,
all the bitterness
is still there.

published in Parting Gifts (Summer 2007)

Copyright Louise Robertson