I Heard

I heard they were married at the VFW

where I heard they first met, when both

were already married: him to Momma

and her to her dying husband.

I was at work when I heard. Someone

in town came by—said he didn’t see me,

asked why I wasn’t at the wedding.

Your father wore white, I heard. Irony

rolled my eyes. I spoke to him later:

offered a half-hearted congratulations,

told him I heard all about it.

He implied I knew about their marriage.

I said I heard after the fact. Defensive,

he told me I wouldn’t have gone anyway.