| My Brother, You Drank Hard Darkness
Your eyes, brown like mother’s you mutter, senile bitch father in cast only eleven, you ran the tractor late summer hail left you without leaves fractured eyes, sunflower striped seed leaving the sold place the sweet dark earth you said, father smashed the farm cats against the barn wall made you watch eyes, brimming wasps in small town father, mother, teachers smirked stupid coach gets paid more you, teenager, holding the ball coyotes toughed it out inside your eyes after bath, mother running to bedroom towel loosely thrown but swinging free father, oblivious your eyes, barbs pizzicatoing on a taut wire beer, whiskey, wine, whatever’s cheap twenty, bouncer for a bar laughed a lot loves disappeared into your college eyes’ satin-sleek sheets you married divorced, married, divorced married first wife again third divorce left you eyes, moths beating in a closed glass now father, alzheimered dead mother stroke dementiated, leaving their house I don’t give a damn if you just buried a husband keep on packing, old lady Two liquored screech owls, your eyes watch the mouse Margaret Walther |