he woke on a pull out mattress

in room 406 at the norseman inn

in rose city alberta

his sister on the double queen across the floor

it had been so long since they had slept under the same roof

let alone in the same room

he thought back about twenty years

she sliced the inside of her wrist

on a jagged arm of a lawn chair

he remembered being afraid as he watched her

being carried away

returning with what looked like a zipper

across the base of her hand

he thought back to her wedding day

watching dad walk her down the aisle

mom cried

he just sat there wondering how the fuck twenty-three years went by so fast

every time you think you have it all figured out

you cut your wrist on a jagged arm of a lawn chair

or you fall in love

or you roll your ankle playing softball

or you give up on something you love

just to try and get it back

or the most beautiful woman in the world tells you that she loves you

and you are not sure what to do with that love

he woke up on a pull out mattress

in room 406 at the norsemann inn

in rose city alberta

she said, 'good morning'

he said, 'how's your wrist?'

she said, 'i'm sorry?'

he said, 'me too'