they made me mad.

willie pettibone and some of the other boys, they said things

about me and daddy.

i shouldn’t let them get to me but

i’m flint quick these days.

willie said:

at the klan meeting last night

the dragons talked about lighting you

and your daddy up

to get them some warmth on a cold day.

you’d be cheap fuel, they said.

they liked the smell of barbecue, they said.

i turned my back on willie pettibone and walked out of school.

i didn’t know where i was going.

i just walked out

without my coat,

without my hat or rubbers.

i didn’t feel the cold,

i was that scorched.