you were promised an oasis,
however cold. heat exists,
but only in waves off
the beauty I see less clearly
a perfect circle exists,
but only when seen
from way up high, backing up
to understand radius
is to understand that everything
in life is the same
in distances from you
to understand desert is to know
that distance travels with you
something like a child
lugging home the parts of
his wrecked bicycle, something about
the spokes on a wheel held
flat like dinner. once at dinner

i called my brother a bastard
after hearing it on television
there was no dinner in my room
no laugh-track. for some children
family is like a studio audience, who
miss the entire taping of a show
from staring down the
marquee bulbs on when to cheer
when to clap wildly
when to worry. a son is like a sun
a daughter is like a donor. a doter?
as a people, we are still learning
the thing i want to tell you
is to be less careful
when made into the middle
everything you want
will stay the same amount away