Maybe Yes, Maybe No
“Maybe” the doctor said
to the bald girl laying in bed
Her eyes widened in surprise
“Maybe yes?” she sighs
The doctor has already left the room
So the girl is alone to assume
The small boy asks “ice cream after lunch?”
His mother shrugs and he has a hunch
“Maybe yes?”he whispers quietly
The mother nods with invisible anxiety
The boy screams with great thrill
but the mother turns pale and sits still
remembering the maybes her daughter used to say
before she left and went away
The mother hears a car pull up
The father walks in, He mouths “Bankrupt.”
they both glance at the small boy
Who is alone is his joy
The parents quietly converse
The boy knows he will get no dessert
A older girl sits bored in bed
Her phone vibrates and she instantly dreads
She picks it up, glances at the screen
drops it on the floor and silently screams
she dials the number, fingers shaking
tears seep from eyes, heart aching
The familiar voice from the other side of the line
says that everything is going to be alright
The older girl moans “I'm supposed to be helping you”
The younger girl says wisely “You can do that too.”
They talk for hours about everything ahead
They say a quick “Goodbye” for the battery is dead
She makes one last call
Inquiring if she can visit the hospital
“Maybe” the man says unconvincing
“Maybe yes, maybe no?” she questions, wincing
She hears the beep as the phone goes dead
She is pained by what went unsaid
At six she hears a knock at the door
She opens it, he says “Any more?”
Shakes her head no, offers a feeble excuse
He shrugs, his dark hair loose
She walks to the car, pulls open the door
And is greeted by a family of four
The family will visit later in the day
small boy, worried mom and dad without pay
They journey to their heart's base
it takes a short time in such a small place
The older girl bursts into the room
The younger girl tells her “I'm maybe headed to my doom.”
The older girl lets her fears show
“Maybe yes, Maybe no?”
A shadow crosses the small girl’s face
Maybe… is the dictionary's disgrace
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