for pascAlle ginsbürt
 
when i was six years old

my mother made a corduroy cover

for my tongue   /   got me

to stand in front of the mirror

and repeat the word ‘manage’

until saliva had fully impregnated

its cloth ribs
importantly the corduroy was navy blue.
elected king

a fresh stick of charcoal

proposes its use from my bedside table

each morning   /   i am forced

to draw around my rare foot

onto a white floor

to prove who i am
importantly the charcoal is heart black.
who is i was

briefly inside a photographer

briefly inside my name

i ride the pony   /   through a biopic

that was an accurate quotation

from the only person in the world

who does not have my name
importantly his name is not mail box red.