Raised voices

Husband and Wife who say “please”

but not for passing the margarine

but to keep quiet

and afterwords they expect no help

with the dishes

And mother groans

with red eyes &

red lips biting into chile & limon

The flavors of a childhood

where hard work wasn’t lost in translation.

Nevermind that;

there’s a leak in the garage-

and cockroaches in the bed.

She coughs and coughs and coughs-

no cure can be found

as they seethe into father’s forehead

Like the aisles at Vons

where all the cashiers know his name

and take his rain checks, and his coupons

and he goes on home with sleepless eyes

(blue-faced-

cigarette in hand,

finding jobs for the 99%)

as he stares up at the leak in the garage

And the land lady’s son

answer’s the phone and says

“the house has no hope,

has got to be fixed,

we’ll just have to evict”