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