I tell you that this is
a very exciting story
in the way that parents
talk to kids
to get them to do things
like turn off the lights
and then I whisper
that I once auditioned
for the role of Dorothy
and came in second
I’ve been meaning to tell you this
ever since you fell in love
with the Wizard of Oz
so I tell you about the call-backs
and the way your granny
braided my hair
but it’s dark
because you turned off the lights
like I planned
so I didn’t see
that you were crying
until it was too late
I wish you had won
you sob this
into my body
not to comfort me
for this flood of grief
is for you
surprising us both
as it gushed out of the cracks
where your confidence in me
once held firm.