Ignorance Poem by Larry Houston

The front porch stairs were the perfect place to
correct
all the relationship wrongs in the world
that two teen aged brothers
thought they
had solved
smoke curled from cigarettes
in the cool autumn air
as they sat side by side
drinking beer
mom the subject
dad should slap her a little
that's all she needs……
I'd say.
he'd agree
take another drink of his beer.
Years later
dad's gone
I'm a drunk
he's a cripple
mom is still here
as a little stoop shouldered gray haired woman
who works in her garden
growing more loved by the day
as we measure our lives
not in years
but in minutes
and hours
and days
ashamed of our ignorance
as teens