I Watched My Auntie Cry

I fidgeted in the corner watching my auntie cry
My sisters told me to stay quiet
Because I was too young to understand
As my mother held my auntie closely and they mourned together
My uncle stared out the hospital window
His features hollow and frozen
He hadn’t eaten or slept in days
He stared at the lush green tops of the sycamore trees
As their branches swayed in the sunlight
“The kids should be outside playing on a day like this”
“We could visit the park”
No one replied
Instead, we stayed in that room for another hour
Next to my baby cousin’s empty bed