I. I was on first base
II. Griffin was going towards home

Sometimes I fall in love
just because I like the way the sun hits his face

III. I did not feel carsick

I have been known to fall in love with strangers.

the man sitting next to me on the subway looks nice:
I have placed his nice eyes at my dinner table—

He chews his meatloaf

nicely
He brings a nice wine to dinner
Swirls
nicely
He watches a stone skip once
twice
three times
nicely.

the skinny blonde waitress:
I have placed her slender ankles at my wine and cheese party
‘cause she is the type
‘cause I am the type

IV. I am afraid of icicles

My first love wanted to be an architect
He gave me a world of
Bridges that refused to connect and
Great Walls that knew how to, and
plants that forgot how to die

But I could only reach into my pockets and find
broken words and soft songs
to give back to him

V. I dream of you daily

On a train to Osaka
5 years young,
the girl is not lost.
her bright eyes how to forgive
my breath
does things my elbows will never understand
her grandmother walks her back to her seat

VI. I don't trust mirrors

I am afraid I will be alone the day I forget how to swallow
and so
I have placed myself in a better body
with a kinder tongue and with more respectable fears.

I go quietly and unassumingly,
Eyelids heavy upon finishing a good novel
probably Morrison, maybe
Fitzgerald if it is that kind of day

VII. The day I threw a ball at Evan's nuts in the third grade was the last time I felt genuinely bad about something
VIII. The sky is blue
IX. Time heals all

Overwhelmed with the smell
I am about to force the train door open
but then I think of how sickening the crunch
of the water bottle in my pocket would be

I only have your smile from a video
Your voice from a recording millions of people have
Your emotion from a crumpled napkin

X. I wanted to give you something beautiful
but all I have are these pieces
kind of sharp around the edges