Silent Response

I know your mother doesn’t think
I’m the smartest person alive,
Father said. That’s why I try
to learn a new word everyday
by reading the dictionary. I
make sure it has a pronunciation
guide, so I don’t trip up. “Did
you think the weather was amorphous?”
I say, trying to spice up the conversation.
But it’s like being passed the salt
and pepper at the end of the meal –
there’s nothing left to pour it on. She
deals with my intelligence by being silent.