brad had a girlfriend once when he was twelve
she kissed him twice (on the cheek)
and leapt into the pond
her face pale like a doll’s
her blue tears blended into the dark water
her father watching from the living room window
as she drowned, drowned and then
floated like a plastic buoy
yeah, he watched the news
he watched the police arrest the bad man, the child rapist, the serial killer
he watched the man’s wife step in front of a garbage truck
and flatten on the street
but still he could not get the last image of her out of his head
she was wearing a dress
a floral print with violet blossoms
and that beautiful, horrible, beautiful crimson running down her leg
