wishing

at the mall i see two girls sitting with their parents at a table. the elder girl is maybe 6 or 7. the younger maybe 4. the younger sister is effervescent, alive. she turns to me and smiles. the elder sits and stares at her fries. she pushes them around on her tray. tears drip down her face.

the younger sister eats her chicken nuggets. she smiles at me again. the father leans down to the elder girl. i can hear his voice in my ear, "hush, don't make a scene."

she is the me of years ago. that is not my family, but it is.

they were real. i saw them. they made me cry. they made me remember.

i want to go back in time and be the younger sister.