I.
It’s so cold except for cigarettes
I have a big word to say
But it got in my eye
It turned red before my friend did
How did Brad get his boys?
Stuffed my bra with tissue paper
Maybe?
I want those shoes I wore in the car when
The dog peed
Before the snakes, my body
Creased with sugar
The triplets burned my finger
Adult size, Red Ryder
The wind sounds just like the ocean hits the window
Can’t drown if you don’t swim
I don’t know how
I bob in Club Soda
Ash in the silver shell, she said
And the hummingbirds left

II.
Hurt was given to Cash
I rolled this thick one
Opened the screen door against my better judgement
A little hole for animals
Big as a heart in the
Peddle steel dark
Grossed out again
Ouch!
Feels worse than I know it is
Burnt my toe on tongue
Locked my arm on liver
Made apologies to strange neighbors
They had plans, hated them
Danced on them
Bolted the door
Kissed the mailbox and ran!

III.
I’m scared of going bad at the grocery store
Pout and whisper, pout and whisper
The seatbelt beep is angry
Why is she trying to make it stop?
Another seven days fly by
Thinking about a city we used to live in
Crumbs on the ceiling we liked
Now we vacuum daily
Every angry plant in its pot
Tiny feathers make the dog laugh
I’m choking on feathers
A wishbone made the guests gag
I wished them away
Too many suitors to count
I forget how to count, we’re leaving
Each head is a washed-up shell
In a child’s thick collection
Chip the favorite, break a tooth
Crack an egg in your soup all day
Girls eat yolks and the boys chew white
Everyone wants to finish something

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