Glad He Didn’t See It

Mark's Mom

Your father would be rolling

over in his grave

if he could see the way

you are turning out,

hanging out with kids

who are allowed to stay

out all night long

and never open a book.

Your last report card

a long row of D’s and F’s

with comments like

lacks motivation

not trying

shows disrespect.

It almost made me glad your father

didn’t have to see it. His

face would have fallen,

the lines around his mouth

grown tighter and deeper.

All those years of driving

a cab to the airport,

fighting traffic,

hauling bags,

so you could get

the education he missed

out on back in Lebanon

because his family

had to flee the war

when he was fifteen.

And now this yellow car,

your constant companion,

a new girl every month

her head hanging out the window

like a gargoyle,

flashing a pretty smile

at the world.

What does her mother think?

Does she know her daughter

is out till all hours

driving around

god knows where

doing god knows what?

And, if she does, is she

as scared as me?