Kettle of Fish
written by: Heidi Dare
@vintagehipsy
Observing from a corner
In our local coffee shop
I overheard white-haired women
Discussing a recent tragedy.
He was a teacher in Carrolton.
They were separated.
He thought she had a lover.
He went to her home at 3am.
He stabbed her to death
Then shot himself.
“Pretty kettle of fish,” they said,
As though this violent theft
Was something frivolous –
A nuisance, a mess,
Not the bloody end of an entire universe
Viciously ripped from its house of flesh.
My mother just left
The abusive alcoholic
Who once choked her
In front of her children.
Her naked baby stood up wailing,
Shaking arms spread in terror
Dripping soapy suds and tears
Into the half-filled kitchen sink.
Should my father get drunk and
Suspect an affair,
Or realize my mother will never come back,
Or expecting divorce, fear for his fortune –
I do not doubt for a moment
He would steal her life,
Splatter her insides onto a wall,
Or shred her body with steel and rage.
My mind is slick with her future carnage.
All I can do is hope she is careful.
Pretty kettle of fish.
- Kettle Of Fish - January 12, 2017
