Easy Answer by Jerilyn Kass

Easy Answer, by Jerilyn Kass


On those mornings when knowing what to wear to school seemed a problem too hard to conquer
I’d call down to my mother,
“What should I wear?”
“Pants and a shirt” was her inevitable reply.
I am a child of the easy answer.

On Sunday mornings, my sister and I piled on my parents’ bed,
Dad testing us on definitions of words in the newspaper.
I am a child of literacy.

My sister and I spent what seemed like hours
Nominating and voting and analyzing names for our stuffed animals and dolls
I am a child of process.

I spent hours putting together jigsaw puzzles
Like San Francisco at night
All bridges and lights
I am a child of synthesis.

I said my first curse at eight years old
And still haven’t stopped and
Irreverent religious jokes still make me laugh.
I am a child of frustration.

I came home after getting fired from my job
To find Dad carrying Mom down the stairs
After she overdosed- she didn’t die like her father did.
I am a child of suicide.

I frustrate at the easy answer
Synthesize broken pieces
Adore just the right words
Make room for the process
And kill the dove of peace in my heart