He gave us chocolate bars
and we were too young to know the word
we did not yet wear shame
like an old raincoat
we sat in the living room
on furniture covered in plastic
he showed us pictures
and we watched his fingers remember
he gave us soda
handed it to us still fizzy
and it tickled our noses
flesh was flesh
our legs stuck to the sofa
he spoke to us like we weren’t small
and we did not yet know
there were men like unnamed roads
we were pink as peach ice cream
we did not wear our history
like old boots or a second skin
he was dark as a chocolate bar
and we did not yet know
we stood on fields of unmarked holes.