The Books You Read as a Child

Maggie
is a word that tastes
like peanuts:
a most memorable quote.

This is the setup-
please suddenly remember
that everything has a beginning
that you will not remember.
This is as similar to
her face—
which was wrongly led
by a nose and
not a chin—
as to understanding the
skimming of rocks.

Because my father didn’t take me fishing,
there are rules we won’t be following:

1. Endings are not ever
as important
as one would wish
(which would be
nearly inconsequential).

2.Trust your instincts.