poet school, perfect attendance

a free verse poem

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the boy knelt at the roadside
sawed off the dead possum’s tail
with a Swiss Army knife
attached it to his bicycle
then pedaled home in fear of vicious dogs

the boy wept in a panic
his parent sneaking off to create a funeral
thinking he would simply play
in the half-empty trailer park
and be none the wiser

the boy shivered privately
from the rub of a grown man’s stubble
along his cheek, forcing a kiss
feet trapped in the stifling pajamas
a molasses swamp where he stood

the boy churned with creativity
raging in every direction
all things fizzling to their death
in his loving imagination
its ceaseless over-the-shoulder whispers