208 or 202 AM

December in her mother’s home
Watched the snow
She had a dog with arthritis
He packed knit sweaters
He packed a declaration of love
She drank too much on their
first night
Called him a thief
The bruise didn’t fade in the morning
Then, February
Months off to make the medicine work
Then, March
Group therapy and a session with her son
He played with action figures
Answered questions about his health
Said he didn’t like the woman
the man
Put up her answer on the walls of her mind
He apologized
Showed a full prescription
And it was a sharp intake of air
If that’s what love was
She didn’t want another apology
He said he wasn’t her father
There was no frozen lake at
her mother’s home