"Heir to Animosity"

A Poem by Shelbs

It's about a picture of both my parents

A picture of two strangers
staring blankly back at me, hides
beneath a stack of books and papers
inside my top, right dresser drawer.

There is a woman with fiery hair,
a pair of oval shaped glasses,
lips pressed tightly together like
two white iron bars, letting neither
smile nor frown escape.

Beside her, stands a man
dressed in a corduroy jacket
and button down plaid shirt.
Right arm wrapped around her shoulder
left hand clenched tightly
into a white knuckled fist.

A picture of two strangers
staring blankly back at me
both caught in a moment, where
neither one can pretend to love the other.
I can't help but wonder
how much them and I must be alike...