and the trumpet brigade blew out my brains

even when the world is dying

on its ornate golden end table

the dust and grey light fading

into the belly of its shadow

you don't miss

as cinderella crying

removes her glass eyes from the moist

bedrock of her broken face

the tears pouring into the tomatoes

in the salad bowl

you don't miss

as children pass the ball flying

down the field of blue green

shouting and cheering while the

grey giant approaches in the distance

appearing over the mountain with a tank

in one hand and an airplane in the other

you don't miss

as the windchimes clatter sighing

outside the window in the unknown

thunder of south central

texas. an owl growing a garden

of hoos in the black steam of

the skies black ear

you don't miss

you are the greatest player

to have ever lived maybe the

greatest player of all time and

i do mean maybe. because

when the blood is drying

into the earth and not a single person

can still sing anything remotely

interesting in spanish

and even after you took the keys

to the car and drove to boston one night

my heart locked in the trunk

the wind a different color than before

a starling song squeezing out of the radio

'gold me now i'm ready to go'

eating the soft wilted spoiled peaches

the juice lining your mouth's blankets

swallowing the pits and teeth

broken off in my tongue

you didn't miss