she is talking
about her thirteenth year
about her mother’s lover
the sound of his footsteps
as she lay in bed
the press of his weight
just outside her door
^
it’s the same story
told
a thousand different ways
it’s the boyfriend who
passed her on to his buddies
for beer or pot or a
new set of tires
it’s everything
she was forced to do
^
and she is talking
about love
she is saying
she believes
is saying she doesn’t
want to be alone
tells me she doesn’t
expect me
to understand
