Tiger Ehieze, Union County Vocational-Technical School       

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an earnest man handled me with his left, his heart was in his right

his bravery seemed like bravado, but i think he saw me that night

a craftsman who built gently seemed a dangerous conflict at the time

but the glimmer in his eye told me he was gonna be just fine

 

that man’s patience was tested by the brash demands of a subtly clueless one

who i’d soon watch prepare for the world as every day begun

he glared at me like god; he believed it, so did i

yet we locked eyes more times than anyone else in that house could ever try

 

his wife had always seemed to glow: a bright and radiant star

she never really needed me, she’d never a blemish nor a scar

it wasn’t too long after that we’d only meet in passing

and every now and then, to stop her pale skin from sagging

 

i was never sure what about me made it hard for them to lie

because i remember one of the few times i’d seen worry in his eyes

as he’d slammed me shut, disordering my innards, scrambling for her pain meds

he’d realized that, for his boy to live, his ego must be dead

 

i’ll never not wish i could’ve sheltered him

from the cruelties of his world

or rid myself of their jewels that i stored

to show him he was their only pearl

 

instead i watched as it caved in

the twinkle in his smile

as his hope was trumped by cynicism

every single time

 

it was hard to spot the goofy jubilance

i’d seen within him as a child

either it slowly withered away

or he stopped looking me in the eye

 

i stopped seeing his father

though the mom and i’d reacquainted

the son grew hairier and taller

and my vision was getting faded

 

the other day i saw a nosy couple

as hopeful as they were young

one glance at the smoothness of his knuckles

told me my story's just begun

 

i haven’t seen the father and mother

or the son in quite a while

i doubt they think about me

i just hope i was worth their while

 

i hope she hasn’t forgotten her beauty

and that his remembrance wasn’t in vain

and that his son put it all behind him

and found his smile without pain

 

i doubt i’ll ever see them again

but i think that’s alright

i hope i served their purchase’s purpose

and helped them find their light

 

as the young woman entered her bathroom

and embraced her brand new world, she smiled

she gazed between my cracks

and realized she’d been with child