The Dickensons

set the timer for thirty minutes

in the back of a frozen Chevrolet

rotate round Ohio hills

to Don and Betty’s Thanksgiving dinner

we knew we’d get to play pool if

we waited for the adults to finish

and after food and football

all the cousins could slip out for an

underaged smoke disguised as

wandering around in the woods

this is where girls could be honest

away from the parents and brothers

and find friendship and comfort

a few simple times each year

while everyone else was on the couch

snoring in a heap of cherry cobbler and mashed potatoes

my favorite part was hearing my father call

"GooBLEgoBBleGObblEgobblE" to bring us in

and then we’d get a plate or two to take home

which never really happened, as thirty minutes

is plenty of time to eat a hot plate of stuffing