Changing the tense

I plan to try another special effect tomorrow:  the epistolary past tense.  I don't expect it to work, but I'll have fun trying  :)  But before that, a beautiful piece in the scenic present:
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Changing the Channel

By E. Ethelbert Miller

My father and I have pillows behind our backs.  The television is on but we talk without looking at each other.  It is better this way, easier for my father to find words, which interrupt his breath like commercials.  It is one of those strange moments when our small apartment in Bronx is empty.  My sister is on a date with a boy she can't bring home.  My brother is at church lighting candles and saying prayers which will not lengthen his life.  My mother is selecting lamb chops over pork in a nearby store, and the price has nothing to do with our health.  Now is the time my father has a good job in the post office and this miracle of rest is what we share while watching old movies that offer no resemblance to who we are.