kindled by bonfire of
keepsakes,

a toothless kid still lingers,
likes his candy

by the nickel by
the shovel

sucker sticks in
pockets

stuck
together,

in back row of splash
paint bus,

mostly friendly
girl’s face

that pretty shade
of dirty-

shrugs like age won’t
waste us.

so why don’t
i read..

likely it’s paper
allergy-

perhaps the sockets
of my soul

are glutted with
weeds,

a mind shaped seed
between my
teeth,

the perfect
book

was
make belief.

daylight’s final
gasp

grazing nape of
neck,

songbirds scatter all
directions
like..

phantom children
called in
from

rusty schoolyard
swings

sway long into
night at
play.

stiff back turned
to day,

nursing thrift store
injuries

midst molar
decay

rooted in held breath
histories

share little left
to say,

chased back into
the wild

where grizzly bears
bleed grey.