This is a girl, aged to fifteen,
Wrapped warm in a green-and-gray sweater.
with glasses perched on her nose,
Thick red circles topped with google-eyed Christmas trees,
not so much for use than to laugh about.
A man, more than double her age,
posing with her like he is ‘too cool’;
Wearing sun glasses indoors, a gray hat, her new Beats, and a scruff that – if grown out – would resemble a homeless man’s.
This is two-fifths of a family.
A teenager and her stepfather, happy.
This is before the drugs, before the mood swings and the lies.
This is before a family broke,
when they were a decent-sized family in a decent-sized house near the beach.
Your use of the word "decent" in that last line really packs a punch beyond what is spelled out for us...also the word "broke" and the way you've represented the family in a fraction--showing something that is whole can bust into pieces at any moment.
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