01

"Why wasn't I born a bluebird?"

Bluebirds find their mates during the spring and have several, successive families through the summer. .

 

02

"She stole several pieces from my China set when her and your dad moved out, ut I never said anything about it," my 87-year-old, Great-grandmother, Marge (Stahr) Klinger said in a soft voice and with a look of regret in her cloudy, cataract-covered blue eyes.

Sitting in the living room of her upstairs apartment that day, circa 1995, I was there to help her with cleaning ut we were taking a frozen yogurt break.

 

03

What Uncle Brook said was, "Missy, there were times when your Daddy was definitely too hard on you."

 "Much, much too hard when it came to spanking."

04

I suddenly learned what those little birds that I had captured felt like in those penitentiary, cardboard boxes, left all alone in the frigid, engine grease-lined recesses of the garage after Agnes would not let me bring them inside.

If God were not with me then, I most certainly would have withered into a cold, sleepy dream from which there would be no awakening.

​

05

"It's a secret, so don't tell anybody," Agnes whispered with a smile on her face during the late spring of 1985.

I was excited as I was on Christmas morning and I learned Santa had brought me more presents than I could open by noon.

​

06

What happened to her lights?

Fights

She cries and cries

Eyes

Correct the child

Wild

Bring forth the spoon

Soon

Quiet now and hide

Inside

 

07

"Well, you look...fat."

"But you look nice, here let me fix your hair so that your hair will look nice and people will look at that instead of how fat you look." 

 

08

"Get your school shoes on, Melissa."

   "And...

    don't...

   ...eat

   ...anything!"

 

09

"C'mere, Missy," my Grandmother said without smiling.

She gave me a hug and said "Your Uncle Mikey shot and killed himself last night and your Daddy will be here to pick you up shortly.  Would you like a mint?"

 

10

"Your mother's up at St. John's Hospital."

"The doctors had to do a small operation, but she's OK and she'll be home in a few days.  We're gonna have hot dogs for supper, OK?"