Dancing in the Kitchen

Grace Cram

 

Dad pulls me in to a twirl

as if i was still his little girl

and we dance

like we did to the Cinderella song

at the father-daughter dance at church.

I had pressed my cheek into his navy blue button-up

swaying in the middle of the pink smoke-machine fog

and wished to dance forever.

 

now, Tension has weaseled into the space between our arms.

and we twirl around

the raw words exchanged in angry teenage passion,

trampling them into graves

until they resurrect

over the kitchen table

the next day.

 

I have this crick in my neck

from looking up to you

for so long.