POETRY
Sister Acts
Prompt response: childhood bedroom
Gold sculptured carpet
concealed treacherous ‘gators; we escaped
by scampering to the top bunk.
Loud, flowered curtains
displayed scary faces at night; I pinched my
eyes closed and buried my face in the pillow.
Whispered secrets
and assurances slipped up and down the wall
in the dark.
The tiny closet
housed hand-me-down clothes: handed
from friends to you to me.
Saturday spats
cleaning our room; Mom made us face each other
and do jumping jacks until we laughed.
Our dolls
were stewardesses, attended balls, got married daily.
Forever 24…and glamorous.
One hundred square feet
cultivated our dreams, our joys, our laughter, our tears —
our sisterhood.
Barbie and Skipper.
Thanks to Kim McKinney for challenging me to respond to a prompt by Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and The Brain…