Sasha Brudlo

My favorite person
my anchor in a storm
the story I reread
until the pages were worn
If you were here we’d be having
a beer on my back porch
but you’re not around
anymore

The first day of fall
the last day of school
fists in the air
first one into the pool
Like riding Space Mountain
over and over again
I dream about you
and I wake up screaming

Nobody fights for me
nobody gets me
I am so lonely
and I am so weird
I wish somebody saw me
sat down beside me
to put it simply
I wish you were here

A sweet beginning
a bitter end
the safety of a brother
the comfort of a friend
I pick at the would
until it opens again
I dream about you
and I wake up crying

The birds and the trees
the vast universe
you were a walking encyclopedia
of sorts
Old baseball hats
and fraying sweatshirts
I don’t know your
favorite color anymore