Strange Familiarity

I sat with them today,

my cousin and her family,

strangers bound by blood.

Actors in a play not well rehearsed,

forgetting the lines.

I looked at their faces

and wondered

what makes them like mine.

Argh. I felt no connection,

only obligation’s weight.

We used to see each other,

what, twice a year as kids?

Two decades of nearly nothing,

just digital versions

I don’t really recognize

and don’t often agree with.

They asked me something

and I saw a glimmer —

something still catches.

Down the road, a flat tire.

I ran out to help them change it,

get back on their way.

That’s just what you do.