Conflicted Expectations
ย We cleared gravy-stained plates and tainted wine glasses. The remains of the turkey could feed the five of us for days.
It was the first year we didnโt host. Mom and Dad invited us downstairs instead. We had arranged to eat dinner with them and then travel to my Sister-in-lawโs for dessert. She hosted dinner for the rest of my wifeโs family in our place.
As we said goodbye, my fatherโs sadness showed in his resigned eyes. I carried his face with me long after we left.
โDid we leave too early?โ I asked. We had already passed the Spring Valley Toll on the Thruway.
She glared at me. Her silence was answer enough.
I felt only my clenched hands on the wheel as a forgotten song played on a forgotten station.
Thanksgiving Day–
A murder of crows
Takes flight
First published in Contemporary Haibun Online, October 2013, Volume 8, Number 3.ย Republished in Contemporary Haibun v. 14, Red Moon Press
UPDATE: for Sue Vincent’s Thursday Photo Prompt–Crow #writephoto
Frank J. Tassone 
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