dear henry

you are

long dead

now

i’m certain of it

i can no longer

feel you here

how many other

children

did you destroy

were your granddaughters

spared your sickness

or were you able to

steal their lives

as you stole mine

that night

on your son’s bike

leaning up

against your garage

time stopped

as i watched dusk

steal through  the avocado trees

bastard

i was only eight