I cast off, just like we practiced. The boat Grandpa rented for the summer is green and rickety. I was scared when I first got on the boat. Grandpa assured me it is safe but I am still skeptical. I tighten my red life jacket firmly before I get on. We are out in the middle of the lake, the motor is still hot from the trip out. We sit quietly and wait. I feel a sharp tug on my line and Grandpa shouts, “Reel in!”

first catch
he teaches me
how to clean the fish

moving box
I carelessly place
the doll in the bottom

I asked Jim if his parents are coming to his show and he replied with a shrug. I wondered why he was unsure of their attendance and asked “Aren’t they excited to see your work?” He replied that they were never enthusiastic about his work. I thought of my parents and their enthusiasm about seeing my paintings. I asked him if their apathy bothered him, he said “I’m used to it”.

absent parents
I try
to fill the void

you lift me up
I beg you
not to drop me

I direct his aunt to the room he is in. She doesn’t know who I am but I was able to guess she is his aunt. Her face looked like his, two teenage boys were with her. They thanked me for showing them to the room and I smiled and headed back to the refreshment table. Refilling the punch I wait for the rest of his family to show up. They finally arrive and He acts as if I am not there. Forty-five minutes later I am still refilling the punch.

meeting the parents
you forget
to introduce me