Thirteen

• You will be four minutes from home
• when you are cornered by an officer
• who will tell you of a robbery, forty
• minutes ago in the area. You fit
• the description of a man? - You'll laugh.
• Thirteen, you'll tell him: you're thirteen.
• You'll be patted on the shoulder, then, by another fed
• whose face takes you back to Gloucester Primary School,
• a Wednesday assembly about being little stars.
• This same officer had an horizon in the east
• of his smile when he told you class that
• you were all supernovas,
• the biggest and brightest stars.
• You will show the warmth of you teeth
• praying he remembers the heat of your supernova;
• he will see you powerless - plump.
• You will catch the two men cast lots for your organs.
• Don't you remember me? you will ask.
• You gave a talk at my primary school.
• While fear condenses on your lips,
• you will remember that Wednesday, after the assembly,
• your teacher speaking more about supernovas:
• how they are, in fact, dying stars
• on the verge of becoming black holes.