<\/p>\n
A boy wants to break
\nthe world in half and put it
\nin his pocket. All through the eulogy<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I thumbed a cracked mussel shell
\npulled the day before from the shallows
\nbeneath the bridge,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
the shell\u2019s interior curves so perfect
\nand slick I could almost feel
\nthe mother-of-pearl\u2014<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
lavender and rose, cream
\nat the thin, crumbling edge. My collar
\nitched. I didn\u2019t like the golden<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
corduroys I had to wear,
\nhand-me-downs from an older
\ncousin, and still my only pants without<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
mended knees or a patched ass.
\nThe priest needed the cup,
\nso I held it up. I didn\u2019t know the man<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
who died. He was my grandfather\u2019s age,
\nwhich worried me, but not enough
\nto slow me down<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
(wasn\u2019t my first funeral, wouldn\u2019t
\nbe my last). I shucked
\nmy starched vestments faster<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
than all the other altar boys,
\nand so was first in line
\nfor a chipped-beef sandwich and pie.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Joe Wilkins A boy wants to break the world in half and put it in his pocket. All through the eulogy I thumbed a cracked mussel shell pulled the day before from the shallows beneath the bridge, the shell\u2019s interior curves so perfect and slick I could almost feel the mother-of-pearl\u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8691,"template":"","categories":[9,49,119],"tags":[6,1992],"class_list":["post-8689","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aquifer","category-literary-features","category-poetry","tag-aquifer-the-florida-review-online","tag-joe-wilkins"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n