small

1 a : having comparatively little size or slight dimensions b : lowercase
2 a : minor in influence, power, or rank b : operating on a limited scale3 : lacking in strength <a small
voice>4 a : little or close to zero in an objectively measurable aspect (as quantity) b : made up of few or
little units5  a : of little consequence : trivial b : humble, modest 6 : limited in degree
7 a : mean, petty b : reduced to a humiliating position - Source: Merriam – Webster’s online dictionary


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  1. ­­­­­­the way I felt when he did not touch me for six years a: add another year b: then another
  2. the stunted geranium plant at the front door a: a newborn fawn found alone, roadside
  3. the amount of money in my bank account a: in my wallet b: in my purse c: in the change jar
  4. the way I felt every time I slept alone a: never moving throughout the night b: wishing to die
  5. the size of the child’s casket a: neglect is a difficult pill to swallow b: guilt too c: remorse too (see regret)
  6. hummingbird wings a: at the red salvia b: at the bees balm c: clipped
  7. the amount of tequila I can handle a: after not drinking for twenty years b: wild turkey too
  8. the way I felt when I told him I was lonely a: he replied OK b: and, I am busy
  9. the amount of rain water in the garden that summer a: inside the house was flooded
  10. the way I felt when I found out he would dance with other woman a: and go to strip clubs b: and talk to former lovers, regularly
  11. the way I felt when he called me his ex wife’s name a: enough said
  12. the size of the eggs in a Phoebe’s nest a: unborn b: unloved c: unwanted
  13. the number of times I actually felt like he was paying attention a: or listened b: or pretended to listen
  14. the number of times he actually read one of my poems a: or understood them b: or cared
  15. the amount of times I felt like he knew me a: or tried
  16. the amount of times I said I love you and he actually said it back a: and I believed him
  17. the amount of times a mother has with her still born baby a: then it is gone forever b: unknown
  18. the amount of times I believed in God a: or Jesus, the pit bull next door b: who buried, everything
  19. the amount of times I escaped his beatings a: insults b: anger c: desertion
  20. the amount of times he kept his word to me and treated me kindly a: I cannot hear the water without trying

Helen Vitoria lives and writes in Effort, PA. Her work can be found in: PANK, wicked alice, the Orange Room Review, the Dirty Napkin, Gigantic Sequins, the Scrambler, the Cartier Street Review, Sunfish Poetry Magazine, Monkeybicycle, Tiger's Eye: A Journal of Poetry, and others. She has recently been thrice nominated for Best New Poets 2010 Anthology. She is working on her first full length collection: Corn Exchange.