EIGHT
i am hoping that when he finds her gone without explanation
he understands, it’s time to turn back
and fix the things he forgot he broke.
when i meet someone new for the last time,
will i still teach them that sitting on street corners
is not at all as bad as their mothers said?
that diner can be easily taken on the floor beneath the stove?
that beds are much better made under the dining room table
than on any thousand dollar mattress?
that i am only a child no matter what my body says,
and i must be loved as such?
when i meet someone new for the last time
will i even remember who i am?
or will i simply be a collection of words left behind.
i used to make crowns of flowers out of radio wire.
my father said i couldn’t break the vacuum tube
inside the television though.