(Photo of oldest and middle witch taken at a book signing in May. That's the lovely owner in the background...)

"I'm DONE." she yelled.
And I heard myself right there.
It's one of my favorite things to say, but I've never heard it quite that way.
Oy, Vey.

And she has every right to fight
and scream and kick and wail at the unfair
uneven
cracks in this creaky life

where doors open to anger
and slam to the soft exclusionary
whispers of two lovers
navigating an unsafe ship
through a storm
that does not belong to her
(but sweeps her up inside its rip tide
anyway)

and all I want to whisper-say
is this

swim to the side
swim to the side
swim to the side