magic

uncle rudy washes his clothes
in the basin, but not always
sometimes i
sneak a handful of flour into the pocket
of his jacket and wait for
the noise
when he is away at the river
i let all of the china out
of the cupboard, checking
carefully for snakes
I pull the tablecloth from underneath
his bed, checking not so
carefully for monsters
the candles i stole from the
monastery go onto errant nails
poking through
the slats of wood and ratty
cloth, both
in the bureau there is a picture of
my mother and also a meaty, mean
tarantula - but - i am
not the one who needs saving