the way you whipped
the hose out from under
the child’s feet, angered by something
so small—a break in your stride
as you watered your flowers—
literally swept her
off her feet, and she didn’t
skip a beat, just sat watching:
it was unimaginable that
you’d apologize

Pediatrician Kelley White has worked in inner city Philadelphia and rural New Hampshire. Her poems have appeared in Exquisite Corpse, Rattle and JAMA. Her most recent collection is NO. HOPE STREET (Kelsay Books). She received a 2008 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant.