1.
Accessorize!
Hang a dreamcatcher
near your monitor.
2.
Tell them your uncle
is an avowed shaman
at plumbing.
3.
Never show them pictures of your parents;
stoically hint at a “plight”
when you mention them at all.
4.
Squint, shade your eyes, and nod a lot
to support the notion, when it comes up,
that it’s “all in the past.”
5.
Smile wryly, often,
especially when choking down
bile.
6.
When faced with any outdoor situation
admit to knowing a few tricks “from back when.”
Cross your fingers that it keeps them quiet.
7.
Pat their shoulders, firmly but gently,
when they cringe mightily before you
about rooting for the Redskins.
8.
Always dress as a ghost might dress,
or how you think a ghost might dress
when trapped between worlds.
9.
Never, ever scream when you hear them begin,
“Y’know, they say in the family
that our great-great-great grandmother…”
10.
Just be yourself for a minute in your car
with your head down when they aren’t looking.
It won’t be enough, but it will be something.
Dark Matter 