Biology

Julia Klatt Singer  

He asks me as he’s doing his biology

What did you want to be

When you grew up?

When you were a kid I mean.

Firefighter, I tell him.  Red

was my favorite color,

six my favorite number.  Loved

heat and smoke, loved fire.  Loved

the monkey bars too, so I figured

I’d like nothing better than the pole

to slid down.

He shakes his head,

gives me a half-smile.

So how the hell did you

become a poet? 

(He knows the answer

knows it is because of him.)

Then says, do you know how

much easier my life would be

if you just fought fires?