Poems by Annie Diamond
Family Reunion
Life is hard over here, they say.
How hard can it be to make a phone call,
How hard is it to send a sms?
They quickly forget where they’re from
So busy are they living it up.
Then one day
A death occurs back home.
They fly in from abroad
To shed crocodile tears.
Never mind that they never cared
To correspond before
Or to send anything home.
There’s nothing like a funeral
To bring relatives back from abroad.
They irritate with their new accent.
Insult, by throwing around a few dollars.
We can’t wait for them to leave
They’re nothing but strangers.