The First Telling

More found poetry.

We may understand that he’s talking about

Mmmhmm

I’m sorry, did you say

The gangrene in his leg

Or even the way he lived his life

It? Odor?

What’s going on?

It’s something that’s upsetting her

The context, the surroundings

With every new line the situation becomes clearer

What questions do you have?

I’m confused

Is that what he wanted to write?

A dream

A memory

The old man and the child

Is that his dad?

You’re not standing on solid ground.

The answer

The key point

Not italicized

Those are not a brevity

His is not the type

Oh, yes, I would say so

Told in a curious way

They’re the most direct thing

A scene, a dialogue, an emotion

That colors that world

The first telling