he had a black eye

he was proud of

like some of his friends

it made him feel somewhere outside

of everything and everywhere he'd been



like his brothers

he emptied himself

and played it safe

like their father

he wanted to remember

but he almost always

forgot what he was gonna say



black eye

black eye



when he realized

that this one was here to stay

he took down

all the mirrors in the hallway

and thought only of his younger face



black eye

black eye