dinner
it seems impossible now
I knew my lines so well
not actual lines mine
was not a speaking part
I’d walk down the hall
toward the dining room
its eight place settings
I’d approach the door
meet my father’s eyes
who’d raise a finger
circle it in the air and I’d turn
180 degrees walk back out
to comb my unruly hair
*
Catherine Grossman’s work can be found in Lilith, Tipton Review, Flying Island, Apricity, Claw and Blossom, Lit Pub and elsewhere. She is the recipient of a Golden Key Graduate Award and studied poetry at Warren Wilson College. She lives in West Lafayette, Indiana.