Seniors

the bread man, the milk man who sometimes came inside for a cup of coffee on cold mornings, vaccine on sugar cubes, kids in iron lungs, my brother's Lionel train set running in the basement, patent leather Mary Janes, my Betsy Wetsy doll, wearing jammies with feet, training wheels, paper dolls, the smell of the radio as it warmed up, water-filled bird whistles, painted turtles, the family car vapor locking in the middle of downtown, holding a mirror for Dad so he could see the television screen while twisting knobs on the back of the set, donning a black beanie with round ears to watch the Mickey Mouse Club, trying to figure out the Viewmaster by closing one eye and then the other, finding out the hard way that my roller skates didn't work on sneakers, Mom using a dish towel to fashion a sling . . .


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