At a Family House Party in San Jose, California
No one notices when a fresh stem of baby’s breath
falls into a pool. Instead, contention among the fangs
simmers with rolling eyes, laughter, and barbecue.
Everyone is testing each other. Backhanded comments
clamor for attention. The egg timer is on, ticking until
another fight breaks. As time ticks, the first escape,
a splash, goes undetected. The girl descends to where
light stops reflecting secrets tanning beneath the sun.
She falls away from shadows pointing fingers.