Money things.
Legal things.
Golden California things.
I put your money in the bank.
And I read your name on lots of pages.
With the word, “deceased” on every
line.
I wonder about your pain.
That you kicked through doors
And poured out of cereal bowls
And couldn’t find a bottle
Big enough to drown.
Is that why you set records
For walking on your hands?
Did the world make more sense
When you turned it upside down?
I wish I could go back to the grown ups
And teach them how to spell trauma
And give them extra mittens
To keep your small hands warm
And believe the words you said
choose
Between being in pain and being
“smart”
You taught me things, Big Sister.
The electric slide.
People lie.
Don’t eat the whole artichoke.
Heal or die.
Poetry by Starry Krueger
Starry Krueger is a San Diego based writer, teacher and director. She is the founder of Imaginary Theater Company, a theater company committed to producing original plays that empower children to be the heroes of their own stories. Her plays Dream Train, Mama Threw Me So High, He Who Speaks and Canary Cockroach Phoenix have been published by Drama Notebook. Dream Train recently celebrated its first international production in Morocco. Starry is a proud member of the Dramatist’s Guild and TYA/USA. (Instagram: @imaginarytheaterco)
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