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How to Cover All Your Bases
By Brandon Pettit



           When clouds are battling for attention

in the dark, cover yourself with coal

and try to disappear.     Bring a flashlight

to spot the field with a diamond

not worth a cent

           and roll up

all the bases.

                                                Take the steps

off your front porch and move them to the back

 

and vice versa.

                         If you have a lover or will ever

have a lover, write a note in pen explaining all

the days you haven’t been yourself.

           Then write another note in pencil

explaining why the days

 

are always happier in the future.

                        If your dog will ever run away

or has escaped and not come back,

take the notes and the coal dust remaining

on your person

             disappear in a body of smoke.

 

 

 

 

Brandon Pettit, despite the subject matter of his most recent work, has been known by the name Pineapple or Silly to many people. Whatever you know him by, he will receive his MFA from the University of South Florida in the Fall of 2010. He is an associate editor of poetry and non-fiction for Sweet: A Literay Confection found at sweetlit.com. He thanks you for reading and for not being too scared of the dark.

 

 

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