I Know You Are Here

It's 3 a.m. The universal witching hour, so of course, I'm wide awake. The snarly opossums are on the porch, fighting over a delicious corn-fed steak. Sophie Dog is on the back of the couch, growling at an unseen spirit. Heavy cigarette smoke smell assaults my nose, proof my father is near it. He has been gone since '84, but at 3 a.m. this does not matter. Mother-in-law throws a blue dish in the kitchen, an ominous clatter. "I know you are here," I haughtily remind them. yet with a bit of force. "No reason to throw dishes or blow smoke, go back to your heavenly source." A quick glimpse out of the corner of my eye, a smile reminiscent of Lee. Time to go back to bed and astral travel with my ancestors around me.