my family had a reunion / and I wasn't invited / I'm probably not allowed to complain / I uninvited myself a few years ago / I made the mistake of looking / through old texts and found / the last text from my dad / when he said / the winter storms were bad / to let him know if I needed anything / but I know I won’t get / what I need / an apology /  to renounce the bigotry / that drove me away / I can shovel my own damn snow / I need to stop / reading the texts / focus on sunshine / on this day / that was so rainy and gray earlier / that's so bright and pleasant / now / birds are chirping / a squirrel runs by / my daughter scream-giggles on the swings / her foot is stuck in the baby swing / I go to the swingset / hold up my daughter / she pries out her foot / we laugh / she cartwheels away / I can't imagine / having a family reunion / and not inviting her