I.

My brother calls me Liesl all
through winter /

precipitating / the month our
mother kills a tuna

in the sink / thimbles garlic /
antivivisectionist / remaining

eldest / wrap the fish in foil /
take a vitamin every day this

year / my beautiful father left
to stop the war / my captain /

my prow / my ocean ending /
my open rain rolling yard

down / his shadow touching
the estate / my brother in the

kitchen deep / tempering
dough with ice water / fill me

with ice water / put a tuna
steak frozen on your tongue /

bear it / whistling / you
would never fire that gun

II.

Dear Rolf / stop /

I needle a new sweater / knit
clenching in the purple dark

/ don’t stop / I don’t know
what I ever saw in you

/ Dear Rolf /

salt me / don this /

III.

I teach my brother oysters /
will you remember his name

my father rips a flag down
from the balcony / a big party

/ tall always / taller /
decorated with tassels

pale slips / coming in from
the storm / why can’t you

hear me / little shells of them
flattening / hand in the

water / I listen to singing in Swiss
mountains / black circles

getting slicker / he thinks I will be
married / but he doesn’t know

—

Thanks to The Atlas Review.