Long Division

Long Division considers the estrangement of two sisters, the pain oflongstanding trouble between them and the ambiguity of longing for repair. A version of Preparing for Family Gatherings was distributed by postcard to subscribers of Red-Flag Poetry Service in 2015. Despite childhood antagonism and now cold distance, the older sister's desire for that supposed guarantee of friend for life reemerges each time a friend mentions good times with one of their siblings. Why couldn't this be my sister and me? Could we learn to like each other? I'd let this go but now that I'm adult, I can't meet people who have known me since childhood. Yet, is friendship with one who I've been conflicting with since childhood where I should be pinning these hopes? Long Division is full of memories of the author's childhood with her sister, their brother, cousins and family in Colorado and reflects her difficulty not only with her sister, but also the passage of time in general. Could she have done something different? Was healing between her and her sister possible at one point but is no longer? Long Division sifts key memories for answers while knowing that none could be conclusive. But how else does one metabolize longing?