Zader

Knife blade in moonlight,

Stink of fear on ocean breeze,

Uncle, are you there?

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His lines bold neon,

mine delicate lace. Who will

be our teacher’s pet?

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Next year all alone

No Jay, Char Siu to lean on

Just a punching bag.

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Letter in the mail

From Ridgemont Academy

Too afraid to open.

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Shave ice tingles, bites

lips, tongue, cheeks. Strawberry frost

chills all the way down.

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Black ink glides and dances,

a girl with flowing hair peeks

out. My sister? Perhaps.

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Curl of wood, easy

like butter. Shave fin, tail, nose,

eye, scale. Free the fish.

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Essay: pen scratches,

doodle, sketch, dream, shake, erase, erase,

sigh. Rather fly kite.

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The shark gnashes, swallows,

chunks slide greasily downward,

is it all a dream?

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