I'm sorry I shot you with my second-hand
rifle when I was twelve. I hated you
because you were my father's, and he'd cussed me
the night before. The rifle, I hated the same.
He only gave it to me because he thought
I was a nancy-boy and didn't know how to kill. I thought
he was right. My father said cows
have thick hides and you were so far away.
I heard you moaning before they found you, bleeding out.
It hurt me. Not as much as I hurt you, I know.
CL Bledsoe has
two collections, _____(Want/Need) and Anthem. A third collection,
Riceland, is forthcoming this fall. He is an editor for Ghoti Magazine http://www.ghotimag.com.