Olive M. Ritch

The Unforgettable Twins

THE AUNT

No standing beside cousins
in pink flower-girl frocks. No.
Aunt Lil didna want me
spoiling wedding photos

wae me eye-patch.
Too much honesty
stinging that lazy eye
into seeing something.

THE UNCLE

In the midst of too much chat
on the road to Tor-Na-Dee
to visit my uncle’s wife,

I stop to check directions.
Yer nae befuddled wae drink are ye?
asks my uncle, smirking
in the passenger seat.

I do not drink and drive, I snap.
Spluttering beside me, he quips,
it didna stop yer faether.

Flights, Issue Twelve, April 2024