Meeting the Relatives

Richard Kelly Tipping

They’re on you before you know it,

careering around the corner in that

flashy ball of light – curious, energetic

and eager to share the fun. You’re it.

Is that really you lying by the television or

slumped in the front seat, still alive?

You reach for a phone to call your mother

but she’s saying don’t worry darling,

I’m here, peeling away from your astonished

face another translucent mica flake.

There are layers of faces within you now,

each one vibrant with self-determined life,

fascinated by your stories, waiting their

turn to speak. You settle back painlessly

knowing the news can’t be all bad, it’s past!

These people you’re descended from, who seem to

know you, are saying that they own you

as you float on your back in champagne,

their faces are thought bubbles, popping

your elevated, delighting brain.

A voice deep inside you, which could

be your own, is saying Let’s Go