Amy Brewster
Sunday Lunch with My In-Laws
FOX NEWS blares from a flat screen
mounted on the living room wall
dominating everything around it.
I think of Orwell’s 1984, Big Brother, brainwashing.
Trump tweets fly from the screen’s mouth
like bats leave a cave swooping in high arcs
scooping insects with wide open mouths
high squeaks bouncing off the walls.
In the dining room where we gather for lunch
I think of the poster I carried in a demonstration.
“Trump Sandwich”
White bread, full of baloney, Russian dressing
and a small pickle…I smother a giggle.
We dutifully bow our heads in grace.
My father- in-law hands pressed in prayer:
Dear Lord, bless this food and family
Help my son and his wife open their hearts
to our President and embrace his goal
to make “America Great Again”.
We say Amen and nothing else.
Arguing causes hives and heartburn.
Besides there’s a loaded gun in a cabinet
sitting next to the King James Bible
and sometimes I wonder which one
he uses the most.
We talk about the weather, steering clear of climate change
the price of corn because my in-laws farm
and what will be planted in their backyard garden.
On the wall behind me hangs a print of the Last Supper.
I can’t help wondering what Jesus would do?
We say our goodbyes, walk down the drive
past my father-in-law’s Ford 250 truck
a red white and blue genuine
U.S.A flag mounted on the cab
We pull away in our Prius
they are on the porch shaking their heads
at our “Make America Think Again”
glow-in-the-dark bumper sticker.
Giving us the final word.
Amy Brewster writes: I am a semi-retired educator and now have more time to devote to writing and my other passions, including spending time hiking and traveling. In addition to poetry, I enjoy writing articles about history (local) and our natural world.