“…monotonous refrain of the same song,
abysmal tide—” ~ Amado Nervo
When the cousins arrived,
they took over our rooms.
At breakfast one of them ate
a whole can of corned beef
and several rolls of bread.
The aunts laughed, charmed
by the way boys will be boys.
Do you have any more food,
they asked, opening cupboards
and drawers, testing and slicing
the fruit. They borrowed good
coats stored in the closet’s
deepest recesses. They drank
the boiled water and stayed out
all night. How swiftly and mutely
we gave up power in our own home.
How well we were taught to cede
all we had— We never placed our
needs first, instead offered only
the choicest to our honored guests.
In response to Via Negativa: Eternity for an inheritance....