"Cereal Monsters"

Cereal Monsters

Sitting at the kitchen table, I hear a little patter
Coming down the stairs.
My little sister walks in.
Her bed sheets have once again teased her hair
And her nightgown has twisted backwards throughout the night.
She scoots around the counter near the kitchen door
And saunters to the refrigerator in our pantry cubby.
Her and I made this journey
Every morning
For seven years
In our home in suburban Ohio.
Our destination…The cereal box and 2% milk.
I liked wheaty and grainy cereals,
She packed hers with sugar and marshmallows.
From my seat at the table, I could see
Our small fish tank.
These fish were the only pets we ever had
And within weeks, they all
Ate each other.
We were upset, but went back to our cereal.
One Lucky Charms morning,
This kid from my first grade class
Called me on the telephone.
My sister teased that he liked me, as she vacuumed in
The last pot of gold.