At our abductor’s trial, I wagered
my brother for the rights to laughter.
The sun’s heat would soon release the scent of the piñon and mesquite
as the saguaro’s arms pointed over our heads towards rope, wood and outer
space.
Many things were let loose that day.
My trust, your wealth, loving skis, chances. Oh, we saw our share
and surely nothing will ever be the same. No word, no water, no hat,
no drop, no envy, no guilt, no one’s cowardice, not a smile, nor dark
nor light nor even the shadow of a plane against the self-made earth.
He had taken not only us.
Have you ever noticed how every time you look in someone’s eyes
the whole world stares back? Gamblers know it but secrets are easy to hide.
I myself turned out to be something beyond a secret. And heat will not hide him
from a game we play with our child’s hands, filled up from the inside with
little children’s bones.
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