With both hands reach into middle school
Use one thumb to hold off effervescence
While the other digs around the backyard
Looking for your eye that went missing
That one August after the car accident
Wrap the main sheet around your palm
Three times then shift your perspective
While you watch your brother sail through
The finish line winning another regatta
The trick to jealousy is to tie it into a hobby
Let him fill his hull w/ trophies & ribbons
While you quietly wait for puberty to end
Before pulling the ends slip a little secret
Into the center of the fist no one will know
RJ Equality Ingram is a poet from Vermilion, Ohio who lives in Portland, Oregon & works as a bookseller for Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette. RJ Received his MFA in creative writing with concentrations in poetry & creative nonfiction from Saint Mary’s College of California & has work published in White Stag, Pinwheel Journal, Alice Blue Review, Dreginald as well as others. RJ’s cat Brenda lost a leg in an RSVP to the prince’s ball. Follow @RJEquality