Television
My father sits watching television.
He doesn’t even know
what he is watching
but he likes it that way.
He likes not knowing
what is going to happen.
While watching television
he rubs my mother’s feet
squeezing and caressing them.
It’s his way of holding on to her.
He watches the westerns
guns, blood, death
my father sits still--no emotion.
Then my mother gets up.
He watches as she uses
the table to aid her.
He grimaces as he watches.
His mouth clenches tight with
every step she takes.
It’s almost as if he is
taking every painful step with her.
Right, left, right.
Stop to rest
before beginning to walk again.
When she reaches the kitchen,
he goes back to watching
something not real
and likes it that way.
David Iribarne earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from CSUS. He currently resides in Sacramento. He has had several poems published in Poetry Now, Tule Review, Sussurus, Catchword, Medusa’s Kitchen, Primal Urge, WTF?! and has had work in a The Creating Freedom exhibit on Domestic Violence at California Museum. He also won second prize in Sacramento News & Review’s student poetry contest in 2005. He also has a piece published in SPC’s Sacramento Anthology Late Peaches. One of his poems also was recently developed with other authors’ poems into a play by playwright Ed Claudio entitled The River City Anthology. He also will have a book of poetry published by Cold River Press next year in 2014.
My father sits watching television.
He doesn’t even know
what he is watching
but he likes it that way.
He likes not knowing
what is going to happen.
While watching television
he rubs my mother’s feet
squeezing and caressing them.
It’s his way of holding on to her.
He watches the westerns
guns, blood, death
my father sits still--no emotion.
Then my mother gets up.
He watches as she uses
the table to aid her.
He grimaces as he watches.
His mouth clenches tight with
every step she takes.
It’s almost as if he is
taking every painful step with her.
Right, left, right.
Stop to rest
before beginning to walk again.
When she reaches the kitchen,
he goes back to watching
something not real
and likes it that way.
David Iribarne earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from CSUS. He currently resides in Sacramento. He has had several poems published in Poetry Now, Tule Review, Sussurus, Catchword, Medusa’s Kitchen, Primal Urge, WTF?! and has had work in a The Creating Freedom exhibit on Domestic Violence at California Museum. He also won second prize in Sacramento News & Review’s student poetry contest in 2005. He also has a piece published in SPC’s Sacramento Anthology Late Peaches. One of his poems also was recently developed with other authors’ poems into a play by playwright Ed Claudio entitled The River City Anthology. He also will have a book of poetry published by Cold River Press next year in 2014.