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The Wolf at the Door
ten years later and he's
here again, he tells me
I have to share our son now
that my husband as done a great job
playing father
but now it's time for him to take over. Ten years,
no birthday cards, no phone calls, no money,
and he's back.
my husband doesn't say a thing but I
can see the back of his jaw working, worrying
the molars with the hairline cracks
the teeth that were perfect up until a week ago.
I want so bad to tell him everything
will be all right, we will win this thing
but I can't.
across the table from me, my son's
biological father talks about
being too young to know better, the regrets
he's carried with him since leaving
about the spare bedroom he has in his house
how he knows he can be a good father now.
I think about the 12-year-old at school
oblivious to this stranger's intent
and try not to cry.
Holly Day is a freelance writer and mother of two living in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her recent books include Music Theory for Dummies,
Music Composition for Dummies, and Guitar-All-In-One for Dummies,
co-authored with Jim Peterik, former guitarist of the band Survivor. Her
poetry has recently appeared in Louisiana Literature, The Midwest Quarterly,
and Coal City Review.
Email: Holly Day
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