i etched tally marks
on yr tombstone
you strung miniature
skulls on jute twine
across my crib
an early lesson
a tiny abacus where
i leaned italian math
by subtraction
you taught me
i was only as good
as my last scribble
my last etching
as i take my next
transfusion
with archival
ink
i cover
the holes
in the wall
with
dreams
of the
dead
