Michael Minassian
Michael Minassian is a Contributing Editor for Verse-Virtual, an online poetry journal. His poetry collections Time is Not a River, Morning Calm, and A Matter of Timing as well as a new chapbook, Jack Pays a Visit, are all available on Amazon. For more information: https://michaelminassian.com
Bounce
I couldn’t make out the words,
but something about the back and forth
from the apartment next door
reminds me of my parents’ arguments,
a tennis ball they batted
endlessly in our two story house.
My sister and I scurrying to avoid
the ferocity and weight of verbal
and physical projectiles hurtled
up and down the stairs,
across the kitchen table, through the living room,
and their bedroom down the hall.
Long pauses at night while they slept,
then thwack the first slicing serve
with morning coffee, while I helped my sister
get ready for school, stuffing her ears
with homework and lunch, then let the cat
outside to sweep the blue jays’ nest.
