"My Grandmother, Beyond Her Window" by David J Hersher

My grandmother never said the words I love you,

speaking instead in Blackjack for taffy on the flowered davenport

in a living room free from pictures of my grandpa

green Tupperware Oreos in the icebox, extra blankets in the clothes press

sleepovers on school nights, the perfectly toasted waffle

and

knowing what she must about dreams

the way she looked outside, beyond her window, saying only

oh David,

Grandma won’t be around to see that.