The Barren Tree
Updated: Aug 19, 2021
By, Wendiann Alfieri
Her mother was making dinner
Her father outside by the pool
Her mouth was talking loudly
As she gossiped on the phone about school
Her lips were smacking together
After a layer of chapstick she applied
When her mother shouted, “ Dinner!”
And she headed for inside
Her dad was eating string beans
Her mother with a glass of wine
As they ask their daughter if she likes dinner
And she replies “ Fine”
Her mother looks at her father
As he cautiously asks about her day at school
When she snaps back
“ What’s the matter? As far as I’m concerned this isn’t school”
Her mother speaks up loudly
And more determined now
To ask her about Jason
And how she turned him down
Their daughters eyes flashed
With rage and envy
A flame of ugly green
“ how do you know about that? I did what I had to do. That asshole had it coming. He’s too stupid to be in school”
Her mother snaps that’s not how she raised her
To videotape her friend dumping water on his head
While she pretended she liked him
And all the school laughed at his expense
“ mom who cares, he was annoying and cruel. He totally ignored my friend when she said hi to him in middle school”
Her mother says that’s not the point and don’t try to make an excuse
The video had been online
Before being taken down
by now all of the school knew
The daughters eyes turned downward in a brief look of shame
she got angry
Because of course herself she thought
Was not the one to be blamed
“ Mom that boy is disgusting, of whom I will never again speak. In fact I’m done with this conversation,”
And she got up to leave
Her father shouted after her
That to her mom she should not speak that way
And her mother said “ Jim, leave it. I wish she knew what it would be like just to not be able to chat,”
Her father agreed
And went back to his green beans
And the mother was thinking as she sat.
A sip of wine was needed
And she picked up her glass
Yes tomorrow her daughter will know
That she’s not going to let her be a bully
She didn’t raise her like that
As the mother cleaned the dishes
the father was helping too
The mother continued to think
Then knew what she had to do
The next day the daughter rose
From a dream so weird and daft
She got up to use the bathroom brush her teeth and comb her hair
When her lips had gotten stuck together
opening them wasn’t an option
she looked at the mirror and saw
She couldn’t speak or open them at all
she tried to cry out she saw
The more she tried and clawed
Her lips were stuck together
even her throat felt raw
She ran downstairs for breakfast
And saw no one was there
No chairs pulled out or even a smell
Of breakfast in the air
She felt so thirsty and turned on the tap
ran her lips under it
She tried opening her mouth to drink
still had no luck
She