House Shrinkage

My sister’s daughter sits on the stool
before her grandma’s chair
face twisted in a semi-wince
at the pressure of the hairbrush coursing through
her thick black hair

This is the last time I will watch
her four year-old pigtails
twin braids with pretty hair bands
in the making

her little brother and cousin fight over a picture book
neither one really wanting it
neither one wanting the other to have it
and one of the mothers (one of my sisters) comes to the rescue
seats them both around her and reads the story
until they are bored and can’t remember why they were fighting
to begin with

My other sister is packing
Long-sleeved shirts and pants
Extra pj’s
Extra diapers
Extra pull-ups
Packing summer-wear that she’ll pull out in California
And re-use for winter-wear

I don’t see her
Drink her tea, always cold, before they leave to catch the train
Probably, she had no time this morning