Aquilegia pixels

Aquilegia pixels

i. Gameboy

the boys told me he

eats boogers

but I’ve only ever seen

his chubby fingers

clicking away

at the videogame

under his desk

saving for seven weeks

bills of $ones bound away

from my palm

rabbits

for one used and looking,

if not tasting

of limes

a game is $twenty

& will take four more weeks

while i wait

my class gives each other

hearts with gluey veins

i take time to write what I want

i have loved many men

in my six years, so believe me

when i say i know

i love you

snot drips down his nose

his mother is called

holds his hand

ushered out the door

out of school

before the bell

i notice bit-music bleeping

& his gameboy under the desk

he forgot to save

the batteries rip out easy

recess is called

the barrette & butterfly bunch

say they have a new game

girls only

February 14^th 1999

ii. 1800 miles from Colorado

the green plastic

hugged a greybrown screen

i tapped

A A A A A

even as the game

boy was tugged from my fingers

we are getting up earlier tomorrow

your father is driving you in (for safekeeping)

my sobs doubled

the crackling whitenoise

from the old cathode TV

between the static a man said some names

common

like the dylans and erics shooting spitballs in class

he swallowed those names

but they came up &

gargled around in his mouth

until he spat them up

 along with the whole state

of Colorado

mother glances at the game screen

& watches

a pixilated pokemon

die

why would you play this crap?

Dad eases the thick

green plastic

from her grip

tucks my covers

the light

silences

set your alarm early for the drive &

don’t bring that game to class

as if a ride to school &

no more pikachu

would stop a school yard

bullet

April 20^th  1999

iii. Every Game Includes a Witch-hunt

just a game

we played

all year

like tag

notes slipped

crinkled into backpacks

you are doomed

means you are it

& you puff clues

of your demise

like clouds

into the air

in spring Marly’s mom

was cleaning her bag

with a magnifying glass

to pick out

her missing

show & tell glitter

when she pulled the scrap

sopping

from the bilge of the bag

the scrap was slapped

on the acrylic desk

six of us girls

the barrette & butterfly bunch

brought in

haven’t you girls heard of the salem witch trials? we have Zero Tolerance for this behavior

(except this time)

We shrugged

& made zero connections

because the old principal makes no sense

she asked us to point fingers

we held hands

said

i don’t know

you are doomed

was placed in another bag

Marly sat alone

she wasn’t allowed to play                                                                                                                      

 May 2^nd 1999

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