A puff of smoke escapes from my grandfather’s mouth

and with it, spews aspersions aimed at my grandmother

Her name is a bitter taste in his mouth,

it rarely leaves his lips

Tension solidifies the air around me

as my dad anxiously clamors on about the weather  

********

A name is propelled into the air without thought,

my dad’s mistake

and a forbidden action in my grandmother’s house

Silence overpowers the room and I fidget in my seat,

unsure of how to react

My grandmother simply feigns a smile

and asks if I like school this year

********

Cigar stink pollutes my lungs

My eyes scan the restaurant and spots the culprit

Wrinkly fingers clutch the belvedere

And remind me of a face

A face that makes my grandmother itch and squirm

And leaves me with a queasy stomach and a guilty conscience

My grandma’s friendly smile comforts me

But the dismal image of my grandpa alone on Christmas day

Lurks in the back of my mind

********

They are at both ends, lugging my arms

Pulling and pulling and pulling

Until the game of tug-o-war ends

And I drop at the feet of the winner

My grandmother is the victor this match

But my grandfather might beat her next time

I am just a disoriented piece of rope,

Whose ends are becoming withered

And my strings untangling more each time