LOSING HER

by

Ellen Parker

Boundaries

Her two best features were her tits. I say this with great affection. After our son was born she forgot whose they were. She kept giving them up to whichever mouth was neediest. I am losing my boundaries, she said. Come here, I said.

Memory

Our house was a shrine for Post-it Notes. I liked the neons. "Remember the sugar." Some days I treasured their whimsy. Little sticky semaphores. Once I screamed, What a brilliant fucking invention! Her face collapsed. She thought I was mad. I was. But don't forget: so was she.

Cognition

Finally she died. Took her sweet time. For months her limbs might as well have been boneless and folks had to feed her. When the spoon got near, she shrieked. First I thought: she forgot apple sauce. Then I saw: she didn't know the spoon.

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Ellen Parker has written a novel called "Only Temporary" and is currently working on a second. This is her fourth appearance in Literary Potpourri..

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