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'