Family

Chin on shoulder 

They both sit lanky

Shoulder to shoulder 

Next to each other 

Two houses with joined rooves 

We set this up, Elise and I, her washing things in my sink filling it with soapy water and scrubbing down the walls of the stainless steel taking about being a widow about charity taatjes about dinner and how to caramelize walnuts on top of French toast as she dips into it scraping it onto the bread hats with her finger 

We become family. 

All of us. 

The parents file in like Pelicans 

Through the doors and over the icy steps and with hands full of sweet fruit

They

Life givers 

Spooning out their youth to make us the trees we are now and we collect as one around a prayer a table over bread and eggs and hazelnut coffee and thank God 

The Jesus I hear some of you might be unsure of 

Skeptical of 

Before we begin 

I allow questions 

Afterwards, after the adults have gone 

We sit on the floor

The dog between our knees and our laps and in fingers and how did this happen that so quickly and like wearing a sweater 

So easily 

Did

We

Become family