Once... he wrote a poem
And called it "Chops."
Because that was the name of his dog,
and that’s
what it was all about.
And the teacher gave him an "A"
And a gold star.
And his mother hung it on the kitchen
door and
read it to all his aunts...
Once...he wrote another poem.
And he called it "Question Marked Innocence."
Because that was the name of his grief
and that’s
what it was all about.
And the professor gave him an "A"
And a strange and steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door,
because he never let her see it...
Once...at 3 a.m....he tried another poem...
And he called it absolutely nothing,
because that’s
what it was all about.
And he gave himself an "A"
And a slash on each damp wrist,
And hung it on the bathroom door
because he
couldn’t reach the kitchen.
why can't I have his luck and actually be able to kill myself... why must I be forced to walk this damn planet?