December, 1974, West Wareham, Massachusetts
I remember snow blowers
and hot chocolate, Charlie Brown
on TV. My sister and I snuggled
beneath the heavy blue quilt.
My mother across from us,
in Dad’s oversized chair,
smoking Parliament 100s,
with Jiffy, the black mutt, on her lap.
And I remember having to pee
but not wanting to move,
only wanting this to go on forever,
my mother and sister and Jiffy
together with me. Then my father opened
the door of our yellow trailer,
letting the cold air in again.
Steve Cushman is the author of three novels, including Portisville, winner of the 2004 Novello Literary Award. He has published two poetry chapbooks, and his first full-length collection, How Birds Fly, won the 2018 Lena Shull Book award. His latest collection, The Last Time, was published by Unicorn Press in 2023. He lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, and works in the IT department at Cone Health.
