They once looked so much alike
that they had a hard time telling
themselves apart in photos.

I stood on the right, Mary would
say to Sheila, and the identical girls
would agree—that’s you; that’s me.

Seeing them is a highlight of our
year—Sheila does Dick’s taxes;
Mary does mine—each of them

sitting with one of us in their
back-to-back offices, catching up
on the news of the year, which

we will all later share with
the one not in the room. We
are tickled that we can once

again see the sisters in person,
sit across from them as their
fingers fly over calculator keys,

eyes on computer screens as
they chat, ink in numbers by hand
on worksheets—all in an hour.

And though I dread the annual
sorting of paperwork, the assembly
of little piles in my living room,

the adding, the notations, I smile,
knowing that I get to watch Mary
in action, as Dick marvels over Sheila.

Even when I’m likely gonna have
to write a couple of big checks, I also
know that Mary and Sheila have

done their best work for us,
taking excellent care of our taxes.
And what’s better than paying

a rainy day visit to the talented
twin accountants who’ve made
our lives, in so many ways,

so much brighter?