Your rosary is made of the same white
plastic as the hangers we used to use as bow
and arrows when we were playing Indians.
I remember being afraid you’d break
the hanger as you pulled it back.
You always had the hook face down
because you thought it made
it look more like a point.
We drew war paint on each others faces
with washable marker. I don’t remember
when we found out it was wrong. Watching
you paused outside Saint Anne’s feels like standing
on our parent’s bed and realizing that
we’d pulled the hanger into a square:
You don’t even have to think about the
words to the Hail Mary anymore even though I
know you’re not sure you believe in
praying to saints like that, which is why you
haven’t prayed a rosary and noticed that it’s
made of the same plastic as the hangers we
used as bow and arrows when we used to
play Indians which we used to think was okay.
Margaret Voetberg
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