Thursday, October 31, 2013


It is after midnight
when they take out the game
Amy and Allison are asleep
Bridget and Kathy
want to play

Ouija

I’d never heard of it
so I say sure

I love board games
and I was so happy
to be at
my first sleepover
in my new pajamas with feet

Kathy pulls out the board
it has ornate letters across the top
and bottom
and a heart shaped game piece
it’s beautiful

she explains the rules
it’s a two player game
you ask questions of spirits

from the other side

I look at her
                                   I think I’ll just watch, I say

no, no says Bridget
you gotta play

so Kathy tells Bridget and me to sit
face to face
the board on our lap
I place my fingers on the pointer

lightly
like Bridget

what do you wanna ask, she says
you gotta ask something from the dead

I don’t know any dead people, I say

how about your grandmother
she just died, right?

Ouija, is MJ’s grandma with us tonight?
are you THERE?

I shut my eyes
I can feel the pointer start to move
across the board
it stops
Kathy screams
It points to YES,

YES.

I take my hands away

she’s here MJ she’s here!
Bridget is excited
put your hands back on, she says
put your hands back on!

Ouija, if you really are MJ’s grandma

tell us your name

I watch Bridget’s hands this time
to see if she’s moving the pointer
as it slides
to

J
then O

I can hear my heart
Bridget breathing
and the gentle scraping of the pointer
as it slides
all by itself

and stops
on the final letter of 

JOSEPHINE

my Grandma’s name

                                    she’s here

                                    I whisper.

Thursday, October 10, 2013


The sun was up and so was Charlie.