They read books for their children, and never read for themselves,
so when the kids outgrew them, what was left to do?
I suppose prescription painkillers and
cups of clean, cheap gin, are
a substitute for purpose.
Mom took another part-time job, just to get away from the house,
but the house got jealous. He always gets jealous.
And the hate in his heart was sharp enough to slash her tires
and dredge a gun up from the baseboards.
Four county officers came, and the house was emptier.
One son was doing engineering for a firm out of town,
and the other sold cars down the street,
and when their great aunt asked them when they’d be having
children of their own, they laughed and thought –
With parents like these, who needs children?
