Bruiser

For three broken ribs and internal bleeding,
Because our dog was hit by a car,
And I took his pain away.
Mom had to lie and say I was the one hit,
And as I lay there recovering, she told me a story
About the world’s greatest warrior,
Who could take on armies single-handedly.
The gods feared his power,
So they gave him a diamond sword,
Which fused to his fighting hand.
And every blow he struck
Would come back upon him.
Until he realized that the only way to win
Was not to fight.
When I came home from the hospital,
Our dog went to a good family,
And we never had a pet again.
Where would Bronte go,
To be alone with her thoughts?
One more place to look…
When I was eight, my teacher had pneumonia
Only she never knew.
My fever climbed so high,
I hallucinated;
My fingers were glittering diamond daggers
That everyone wanted for themselves.
Once my fever broke,
My mother and I had a serious talk.
“Guard your heart,” she told me.
“That is your hero’s sword.”
I approach the pool,
There’s something in the water,
And it’s not moving….
I was ten at my mother’s funeral.
Uncle Hoyt stood beside Cody and me,
His arm was on my shoulder,
He told me it would all be all right,
He would always take care of us,
He would protect us,
Protect me,
And I loved him for it.
I almost died a month later
From a kidney infection that began as Uncle Hoyt’s
And quickly became mine instead.
That’s how he learned what I can do,
That’s when his drinking became a problem,
Because his guilt consumed him,
And he resented me for it.
Bronte’s in the pool,
Facedown in the cold water.
I can’t stop screaming.

63) INTERFACE

Pulling you from the water won’t be enough, but I can defy your fate,
I have one last gift for you, Bronte, and it’s one you can’t refuse.
Inches from you now, I stop kicking, let my arms relax.
They drift down to my side and the sword falls free,
Because the only way to win is not to fight.