Summary

In "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel," Gloria Brown is haunted by a dream of her daughter Tamar's death. Because Tamar is in the military, Gloria constantly worries about her safety. She is particularly anxious now; Tamar is leaving on another tour.

Gloria and her ex-husband run a funeral home together. She sits listening to a man speak of his late wife. Gloria does not feel plagued by his grief, wishing she could feel similarly about her daughter's coming departure. The dream had been vivid, and kept blurring with reality. As a frequent dreamer, Gloria "knew when a dream was more than a dream" (95).

When she gets home she will find her other children preparing for Tamar's party with the help of Tamar's girlfriend Lilith. Despite her disapproving of her daughter's sexual orientation, Gloria likes Lilith. She imagines how Lilith might...