Five siblings inherit a blanket. They lie beneath it, together, to stay warm.
          But arms and legs stick out and the siblings squabble and tug. They do
          not realize that they would all fit if they just moved closer together.

This is the Blanket Story. Poets, artists, and musicians have responded to this tale in creative ways. All poems appear here, our ONLINE POETRY SHOWCASE. Visit our main page to find out more about the project.

Gerard Sarnat

Equilateral Triangle 

Some cousins are raised as sibs
—mine and I lived
like distant relatives...

Rainy day sick from school,
Mom showered me
with lambies and blue blankies.

That’s the version I used to believe
and want to,
but here’s my sister’s:

Rainy day when so home
sick, Mommy showered me
with silence and guilt.

The one who made
little baby Sis feel unloved—
I ought to trust you?

We tortured Ma till we’re all codgers
since she’s our
not-good-enough mom.

Fever rose above
her white blood count;
no one called Mom’s physician.

When Mother got better,
I wouldn’t take Sis
with us to our favorite

Chinese restaurant.
I wanted to keep
Mama all for myself.

Reading these words
makes me feel like a heel
but I’ll stick by this story.