I called my American Sister today
the one with the horses down in Florida
yeah she told me my our mom was in the hospital
she went in tuesday but she just told me today
funny like how when I was in Kandahar and I told my mom I was still on the ship
but my sister told my American mom though
she always tells
she told me she s in and out
she told me she might have trouble talking from the pain
medicine
(what the f@#k!!)
Oh my American Mom called me today
at first I didn't know it was her
she sounded so young
I imagined her young
it was her nurse
she told me her arms were like puppets
the nurse helped her with the phone because she can't feel herself holding the phone
This is my American Mom
the one who used to hold me
the one who joined the Navy out of high school for a couple years during the Korean war.
the one who's Scot-Irish and German
worked in steel mills too
My American Mom is an American Woman who made two American Women
my sisters
she made two American Men too
But now she can't make it out of bed really
And my American Sister down in Florida fed her breakfast today
I told my mom how it's Dec 1st and I'm wearing a t-shirt in the Capital here
how the leaves are collecting on my street between the row houses
and how the wind spirals the leaves into our red white & blue sky
"That looks beautiful Honey"
It is mommy
