look at my past

the past of my father

the past my mother

methodist england wales

catholic germany

small towns

southern illinois

man marries

and goes into the air force

the woman

no one talked about

didn’t wait

he marries again

a catholic girl

her father would not have it

the family disowned her

my mother

how could they

when i was young

we visited her mother

her father in a wheelchair

thin

weak

silent

grandma gave me

butter and sugar on bread

she had a german accent

she was sweeter than pie