Barbra and Frank came around
every few months or so
and Mother so looked forward to their visits.

She would get out the ashtray
and Barbra would say
�Are you sure I can smoke
inside?�
and Mother would laugh and say
�Don�t be silly, of course,�
even though
not even Grandpa
was allowed to smoke indoors.

Mother was proud to call them our friends
because
�Frank was a pioneer of electroshock,
you know,�

I know, I say
just like we all know, because when I got out of hand
the way my brother Pete did
instead of sending me to quiet,
a building isolated in the countryside
Frank�s suggestion, my parents� threat,
�Well, there�s one thing
you could do��

I do not remember much
about taking the bit
of wood between my teeth
the hazy blue room spinning
I do not remember much
because it took an eraser to my brain

I do not remember Frank
or entries in my diary
but I remember Barbra
thin and wan, blowing smoke rings
so glamorously,
I remember Barbra
and sitting Indian style at her
pretty shoes.