she left for Australia a couple of years ago
with five hundred bucks and a backpack
she picked fruit drove truck tended bar
did a stint washing paintbrushes for an artist
eventually posing for him while his wife baked gingersnaps
her gift is that the wife didn't mind
couldn't blame her husband for wanting to sketch
the beautiful sister was a bit in love herself
she called us Christmas Day
I held the phone between ear and shoulder
as I peeled potatoes and checked the turkey
it was Boxing Day in Melbourne
how Star Trek I said
I was laughing until my husband rolled his eyes
and then I stopped
chopped the potatoes with short hard strokes
I thought how fitting it was
to speak to the beautiful sister from the future
I asked her for an inside tip tomorrow's lottery numbers
thought maybe I would throw these fucking potatoes
in the garbage or better yet just leave them
on the counter to brown and rot
walk out the door jump on a plane
get the hell out of here
Copyright © 2003, Leslie Greentree
