Waukegan, IL, 1995

my grandmother          her face drained
had him moved to another room

but we stole his blanket by accident
tagged:                 Reichert in black Sharpie

mix-ups often occur:
——-he thought you were a nurse
——-that he was at war

his hands
——-so strong
——-the smell of piss

my own grandfather
——-paralyzed on the left
————–as long as I can remember
——-paralyzed from the bottom
————–as long as I’ve been an adult

grandfather what big eyes you have
——-I’m not Tina
——-it’s me
——-what big teeth

Why are you doing that?
get me my gun, he said

I gave the blanket away
I could never wash it enough

*

H.V. CRAMOND is the Poetry Editor for and a Co-founder of Requited Journal for Innovative Art and a Writing Instructor at Loyola University Chicago. She holds an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has received grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago’s Community Arts Assistance Program.Her poem “War of Attrition” was a finalist in the 2013 Split This Rock Poetry Festival Contest judged by Mark Doty.  Some recent work can be found in Soundless Poetry, Keep Going, Wunderkammer, Ignavia, death hums, and Pandora’s Box (Southport Press, 2011).  Read more of her writing at hvcramond.com.