Blue flame
in the eye’s corner,
stove on
high, we brace
for his flint
and spark, our dark
surprise, his smile
jolts, head
unleashed, little body
arched, straining
in the high
chair, we stand
to face
anything, she steadies
his tray, eggs bubble
in the pot, I lunge
for his spoon, his purple
elephant, water boils
over sides, we look
to each other, sense
the sizzle, his bowl
clattering, a reverse
crater, we shake off
faults, shells
crack, window
shut, we smell
the heat, hardened
yolks, his brain’s singed
gray, the scorched
black dome,
we are all
hollowed out.
from SeizeFind more by Brian Komei Dempster at the library
Copyright © 2020 Brian Komei Dempster
Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Four Way Books.