Foghorns and Gongs

uncle's boat is miles from the coast
he's been three weeks
at sea.
his boxes are down stairs
where we'd like him to be
when is uncle going to live here mom?
eventually
and now
***

sitting across from the therapist
i describe sam:
social, active and athletically gifted
sensitive, stubborn and dramatic
he knows what he wants
and that is that

(god he sounds like me)

sitting across from the therapist
i answer the question
carefully
what brings you here?

a parenting check up.
an imbalance
a feeling at the end of the day
that Marcel gets all praise and kisses
as Sam gets NO NO NO
and perma-frowns for
near
misses

when a parent walks in the door
of a therapist's office as a
preventative measure
it must be like walking into the garage-asking
the mechanic what I can do to care for the car better,
in a way to avoid any
unnecessary wear and tear
to steer clear of a collision

walking home the words
sophisticated parenting
continue to ring sweetly

while the possibility that he is a lot like me
was more like a gong