A piece of paper I begin to throw away reads:

A sip is a thought
not now
but one I'll think later

Right now I think whatever

I take a long drink-- many sips
which makes this worse
a more intense thought
only later
not now
now my thoughts are of you
with you,
Blue

---

Never has one beer meant more

mind set
so set
can't think
of anything
positive
so drink
makes it worse

Right now
then then
like going in reverse

A relapse
of sad thoughts and I'm caught
in my head's
Web

... into the bin

Missing year book pages

I went to afternoon kindergarten while both my parents worked. (Both still work. Times are tough; their health is good.) I lived three houses from the kindergarten but bussed from La Petite Academy, where I was dropped off by my mom in the morning, to Mitchell Elementary, where my brother was in third grade. (As of December we were both still in school.) La Petite I remember little about, but Mitchell was my primary school for the next six years. We were the Mustangs. (I've been a Mustang, a Hawk, a Truckin(?) Eagle, an Aggie, and a Viking.) My kindergarten teacher's name was Mrs. Hamilton. She had a son my age named Eugene (like the town in Oregon). On Halloween he dressed up like a robot and I was a hobo. There was a costume parade. Ernie, though, was my best friend (I was Bur) then but I have no memories of him after that year. My best friends forever would come in the following years. (I've since lost touch with most all of them.) Christine was the first girl I kissed in the back of the white La Petite bus which drove us to afternoon kindergarten from the Academy to our public schools; she went to a different school, Comanche. I never saw her again either. Or remember for sure if that was her name.

LAVA

We played lava,
a game set at the playground,
where we made the sand below us as hot as fiery lava,
and the splintery jungle gym an island of safety.

We thought it was the best game in the world because we stayed alive by
running and jumping and climbing
to different positions.

Our own little world we dreamed we'd populate.
Just us.