Without Envy

The Things We Have Now
The chirping alarm clock wakes her. Promptly the comforter stirs, legs skimming across the mattress. A shadow lifts out of the gloom as she pulls herself from the bed. She passes like a spirit through the room and stoops outside the door. Seconds later blue-white light fills the hall as she [...]

The Things We Have Now

She calls at ten a.m.
I want to talk about school. How she’s doing, what she’s learning.
She entertains my wishes only momentarily, then gives me her meter reading.
I say the number back to her and write it down.
She asks about her snack.
I tell her what it is.
She asks, What did you pack [...]