What and How He Taught Me by Martha Christina

My bedroom window faced our
small backyard, far from the street,
no need for a pulled shade.

I heard heavy steps
in fallen leaves
behind the house.
I turned off the lamp;
looked out into faint
moonlight. A figure
I didn’t recognize
stood waiting,
like someone
in a theater,
for the show
to begin.

My screams filled every room.

Remember, my father said,
when he came back inside,
you see from dark into light.



Martha Christina has published two collections: Staying Found (Fleur-de-lis Press) and Against Detachment (Pecan Grove Press). Her work appears in earlier issues of Red Eft Review, and recently in Star 82 Review, Crab Orchard Review, and Tiny Seed Journal. Born and raised in Indiana, she now lives in Bristol, Rhode Island.