while you were out

by Joseph McCombs

the courts had said well sure mrs winston you can keep the kids
but we think mr winston should have
the yard and other useful things
since after all they are his

and so there we were
waiting for public assistance
tuesday in the stifle of a frightful city building
jack in his worn ugly pro wings sneakers and me in old stiff
shorts that didn't quite fit and mom looking pale and dead until
she got up and begged the line of unwed and defeated mothers
for passage since she really wasn't feeling well

and of course no one else felt really well either
until she panicked and convulsed on the fifth floor

and the public assistance people all noticed me and jack
sitting butterfly quiet against the crusty yellow wall
they brought jack a candy bar and me a pack of topps baseball cards
jack couldn't eat but i sat there and studied the backs of the cards
so i wouldn't have to look up

now i am not a bitter person
and no dad i don't know
what your wife is like or what kind of
car you drive but i can tell you that mom sings sometimes
while she cleans the house these days and
i know that rafael landestoy hit two sixty nine
in 1982

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