I am left waiting on the hill
shaking with knowledge of
lost connections
I am left on the pier with
memories of the dead
their sorrow pointed toward
the horizon
Chicago/February, 1980
What do I remember about that day?
Julia crying in the kitchen. Alex hiding
upstairs.
A tall, dark-haired man in Julia’s living room.
Telling me, I’m your brother. You’re going to live with me now.
My own terror.
But when he smiled and held out his hand, all I knew was love.
I can’t climb out
the spiders in my wrists
stretch into my fingers
only a balled fist stops them
no one hears the clicking
but me