Molly waits nervously,
steps onto the stage,
and that means
Malia is next.
She gets up,
crumples Blankie into a ball,
and puts it in my arms.
Don’t lose Blankie!
She looks at her cassette
to make sure it’s wound to the right place,
then hands her cassette to the Covenanteer,
who takes it to the theater tech.
We look at each other,
and I think something
like a prayer in mind.
Molly plays “The Entertainer,”
and when she finishes,
she plays the whole thing again.
Malia stands up on her toes
and back down
and up again.
William stands
way too close to her,
since he’s next,
the sleeves of his shirt way too long,
a Shakespeare wig fixed to his head
leaning slightly to the left.
My heart feels tight
from the pressure of breathing.
I want to be on the Sitting Stones
near the pool,
both of us
listening to the trees.
When I look at her,
she’s holding one hand
over her swollen eye.
You can do it! I whisper.