checkers with dad
him trying to convince me
that he let me win
I remember
never ending fields
of barley wheat
cold frost bitten mornings
when cow dung
kept our feet warm
fresh ground coffee
apricot jam on thick slices
of rye bread

most of all
I remember
mom sending me to
fetch the mop
and I saw uncle stew
fuck the shit
out of pastor’s wife
in the broom closet

through my childhood
I never ran short
on presents for Christmas
or birthdays