Merit Badges

My recently-deceased sister
comes to me in a dream
on All Hallows’ Eve.

She stands before me,
the beautiful sister,

before the fake eyelashes
bleached Mohawk
and botched Botox.

I knew you weren’t dead,
I say, though I buried
her ashes just a month ago.
That wasn’t you.

And because she smiles,
I tell her about how I also
buried her Girl Scout sash

with merit badges
for archery, swimming,
hiking, and canoeing

along with a plastic bag
with her baby teeth
that Mother had saved.

Oh, that’s so you!
Deborah sneers
as she slides
behind the wheel
of her red Mustang
and speeds away
leaving me

choking

on the fumes

of her exhaust.

Margaret Chula has published more than dozen poetry collections including, most recently, Weeding the Labyrinth. She has been a featured speaker and workshop leader at writers’ conferences throughout the United States, as well as in Poland, Canada, Peru, and Japan. Maggie lives on the Portland skyline where she enjoys hiking, gardening, and creating flower arrangements.