Broken knuckles are romantic
like cellphones thrown against the wall.
And shattered means he cares so much
there was Passion in The Fall.
On August nights, I remember
all the parents in plastic lawn chairs.
How bottles crackled in the embers
of a dying summer lawn fire.
You’ll believe those lawn chair parents
they swear he loves you: hates you, calls you cute.
You’ll kiss his broken knuckles
you’ll toss away bruised fruit.









