Endings by Martha Christina

Two brothers
come home
to visit their
dying mother.

One drives his
own red hybrid;
the other, a rented
grey sedan.

For three days they
take turns practicing
their futures; saying
good-bye.

When they were small,
their mother read
to them; stories
ending with

lessons learned
by those who
suffered,
and endured.



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.