The Wall Heater
(For my father on Thanksgiving)
By Revolutionary Worker Scholar
i was in my bed
which was basically
a mattress that sat flat
on a hardwood floor
it was near a heater
that was mounted in
the wall covered in a layer
of dust
on the other side
of it was my father's
bed where he slept with
his wife
sometimes i could hear
them through the heater
in the middle of the night
one night as i was
dozing in the space between
sleep and the other part of
who i was i heard my
father cry out
I'm nothing!
then there was
mumbling followed
by silence
i fell asleep with
my belly empty yet filled
with my father's words
I'm nothing
I awoke and looked at
my 15 year old face in the
mirror and left for school
and i looked again
and i was 20, 25, 30,
35, 40...
and some nights
i woke in the middle
of the night and
cried
...
Dad, i never
forgot you or that
wall heater
you both kept
me warm
(C) 2010 Revolutionary Worker Scholar