matthew and i
chew chew chew chew
little bubblegum marbles, white and hard at first and totally circular
i put one on the table and jab it with a blue ballpoint pen; it smears a tear
we play together on orange and green rag carpets and flick yellow paper lanterns into the air
..up into the wood paneling where there are twenty thousand dark  lines, running downwards like paint streaks
i tell him that the age of the house is seventy three years old and I know this because
the house told me by whispering in my ear when he was in the bathroom

i love him like salt water toffee
hard-soft, salty-sweet
tender
a love that can only be obtained after you get your braces off