1. Astronomy
I bought a kite once at Murphy’s,
a diamond with a ponytail
like that girl in fourth grade.
In a park with grass the color of her eyes,
the kite climbed, hiding the sun
until the string broke.
I forget her name, but I remember
holding the sky in my hands.

2. Biology
Next to the funeral home, the 8th Street Tavern
served Schlitz on tap. Pale blue neon flashed
and hummed as I sat next to Uncle Cyril
who bought me a Coke. After his shot and beer,
we returned to the parlor where he pointed
at his dead mother and said,
Everyone takes their turn.

3. Chemistry
In seventh grade I fell in love,
with a girl two doors down,
her hair dark as licorice.
When she walked to school I followed
behind her like a frightened shadow.
One day she turned around,
and I transformed into a pillar of salt.

4. Earth Sciences
The night before going river fishing,
I prospected for worms in the back yard.
One did not cooperate, tearing in half,
both ends wriggling like fish on sand,
out of their element, desperate.

5. Physics
My mother’s arm, a pendulum
gone made, the paddle in her hand
without mercy, accurate
as Scripture verses memorized,
something about spoilage.