Daddy

some guy on the plane
watching tv on his phone
first I don’t know he’s related
to the woman & child
across the aisle
keeps shaking his head at her
for not keeping his kid quiet
the whole flight
she runs up & down
with the wiggler
coddling, cajoling, cuddling
distracting, feeding, cheering
at one point Daddy
hands her a cup full of garbage
she fumbles, spews it
all across the aisle
between them
with one hand serving the child
she attempts to pick up
her mess, but needs help
he glances with contempt
a little shake of the head
another shake
another little irritated shake
as he picks up a few torn scraps
afterward returning to that
absorbing true crime documentary
about the Daddy who
in the middle of the night
killed his wife & toddlers

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