Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Into The Lion's Den

They are coming tomorrow,
coming like the tornado that hit North Carolina.
The only difference is those people had no warning.
I, on the other hand,
have had over a week’s notice,
but I still have no where to hide.
Tonight, I am so nervous
trying to prepare for the unexpected and the inevitable.
The griping of my father as he opens the refrigerator looking for meat.
The fussing over showers and changing shirts.
My mother
falling into tubs
and down hallways
wandering off in search of magic dragons.
Her incessant questions of my marital status.
Her lack of boundaries
in conversation
if I should take her out in public.
It feels like a crazy circus has come to town.
But there is no trapeze
and no Fat Lady,
just the tight rope
I must walk across
day after day
as I try not to fall
into the lion’s den
below.