he had a black eye
he was proud of
like some of his friends
it made him feel somewhere outside
of everything and everywhere he'd been

like his brothers
he emptied himself
and played it safe
like their father
he wanted to remember
but he almost always
forgot what he was gonna say

black eye
black eye

when he realized
that this one was here to stay
he took down
all the mirrors in the hallway
and thought only of his younger face

black eye
black eye