Roberta Beary

A Hamster Wheel Spins at the Funeral

If only I stayed home for college, if only my sister didn’t drop off her 10-year-old daughter at their house, if only Mom didn’t dash out for chocolate milk, saying, I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail, if only he didn’t come downstairs in his open bathrobe the second the blue Honda left, if only Mom took her along to the store, if only my sister kept a close eye on her daughter, if only Mom didn’t always believe her husband, if only my sister remembered when she was 10, if only Mom didn’t dash out to the store, if only my sister didn’t drop off her daughter, if only I stayed home for college.

open casket
lilies cascade over
needle marks

---

About the Author

Roberta Beary is the haibun editor of Modern Haiku. Born in Queens, New York, they identify as gender fluid and divide their time between USA and Ireland. Their fourth collection, Carousel, is forthcoming from Snapshot Press.