First Day of Girls

in seventh grade
first hour I saw
carmela occhipinti
big itailian smile
ta-tas to match
orange mini dress
off-white pokla-dots
are there bombshells
at 13?
never saw this
in grammar school–
those chocolate eyes
cut right to the center
of a 7th grade
boy’s heart
nothing else mattered
before or after

that polka dot image
was burned into this
kid’s brain
testosterone &
awkwardness
raced to every corner
of my body
as I stumbled
into the chair beside her
–slouched in jeans
white t-shirt
checked her out
through the corner
of my eye
checking me out
through the corner
of hers

today I learned
through some reunion site
she had died–
breast cancer
of all damn things
and it made me sad
I hoped her life
was good
as I saw her
in that mini dress
and remembered
how many times
I dropped my pencil

One Eyed Jack

three card monte
plays out when
you go all in

that’s when
what you
turn up is
not enough
or even
relevant
to the game

it is bad
verse when
you chant
cliches
drawing them in
with misdirection
it is with a
sideways glance
that I tell you
in the land
of the blind,
the one-eyed Jack
is king