my parents hated her
I hated my parents
it made a nice
foursome
one day we went on a picnic
together
up in the hills
and we played cards and drank beer
ate potato salad and weenies
they talked to her as if she were a living person
at last
everybody laughed
I didn't laugh.
later at my place
over the whiskey
I said to her,
I don't like them
but it's good they treated you
nice.
you damn fool, she said,
don't you see?
see what?
they keep looking at my beer-belly,
they think I'm pregnant.
oh, I said, well here's to our beautiful
child.
here's to our beautiful child,
she said.
we drank them down.