To Blend, or Not to Blend, That Is the Question
—vignettes from the blended family diaries
Stools
You got the worst one
Your son got the second worst
She saved the chairs
for real family
*
Back Burner
For decades
you warmed on low heat
a slow burn
reduced to char
*
Wallflowers
As if a garden
they gazed at one another
fawned and gushed
In vigilant silence
we stood motionless
stems to the wall
mere weeds
*
The Walk Around
Gatherings—
Weddings
Holidays
Reunions—
meant avoidance
They walked around the oddities
the ones with a different last name
*
The Double Standard
DNA opens hearts
No babies
no acceptance
Sadness sits in the heart
of the one who can’t deliver
*
Cuisinart
a dependable brand of blender
You tried every setting
It got stuck on ICE CRUSH
*
Jeannie E. Roberts has authored eight books, six poetry collections and two illustrated children’s books. Her most recent collection is titled The Ethereal Effect – A Collection of Villanelles (Kelsay Books, 2022). She serves as a poetry editor for the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs.
