Medicine
By David Barringer
I yell at my son to get his toys into his bookbag so we can
get to my daughter's dance class on time. I shake with rage
and then laugh at how ridiculous it is, I am. He defies me and
I get angry and then I am aware of how absurd it is to get angry
at a child. So I laugh and wrestle with him. We hug and I coax
him into the bathroom to wash his hands or whatever. I worry
this sends the wrong message. I want him to learn anger is okay
to express, but good fathers, good men, are also in control
and can set anger aside for tender play. But my son learns he
can defy me and all I'll do is wrestle with him. All bark, no
bite. He won't take his medicine, a teaspoon of Zyrtec to dry
his sinuses so he can breathe easy and sleep. I count to three,
drag my son by the shoulder, force the plastic medicine spoon-thing
against his teeth. He chokes and cries, terrorized. Now please
don't look. Don't look at these, my lessons.
....
Read Father's Day by
David Barringer
...or read Name That
Quote
David Barringer's third
collection of fiction, We Were Ugly So We Made Beautiful Things,
is now available from Word Riot Press, it includes a beautifugly
introduction by Steve Almond and artwork by Eduardo Recife.
Site: www.davidbarringer.com
Email: curious@davidbarringer.com
