Passing It On

We came in through the door off the car port
The one that always sticks
The answering machine was blinking
On the bed were the grandkids’ unwrapped gifts

There were lists on the refrigerator
And the calendar was covered in names
It was snowing in March in Alabama
As if we needed a reminder things had changed

And the messages were automated calls
On behalf of your pharmacist
While I was restless, going room to room
Sure there was something I had missed

There was a stack of bills in the closet
Bibles and westerns on the shelf
And we looked for reasons and tried to find ways
For our hearts to hold things they can’t bear