Minus the Spine

If seen through snapshots, holidays and family gatherings mark our passage through the roles that we will play in life: infant son, brother, uncle, father, grandfather. A story in Wazee Journal, Winter by Michaele Charles, is about that final rotation: the doddering elderly family member that’s treated lovingly as a child. The first-person narrative is really effective in capturing those awful moments of confusion and weariness experienced by the ‘grandma.’ Especially poignant are the parts where the young grandchildren try to relate to her and when she addresses her dead husband, revealing an empathetic but frank voice.